What denomination of UK coin honored Franklin in 2020?
Answer
50p coin
What denomination of UK coin honored Franklin in 2020? The answer is a 50p coin.
The Royal Mint released a 50p coin honoring Rosalind Franklin in 2020, the centenary year of her birth. Its design features a stylized representation of Photo 51, the famous X-ray diffraction image associated with Franklin’s DNA research.
Franklin was born on 25 July 1920 and became a leading X-ray crystallographer. Her work helped reveal the structure of DNA, but she also made important contributions to research on coal, graphite, RNA and viruses. The coin commemorated her scientific legacy rather than presenting her simply as a footnote to Watson and Crick.
The denomination can be confused with the UK’s £2 commemorative coins, which are also commonly used to honor major historical figures. This issue was specifically a 50p piece. The 2020 release formed part of broader centenary recognition, including exhibitions, educational activity and other memorials celebrating women in science.