If you have the Great British Coin Hunt Album, Volume 1, this coin fits perfectly into the fourth spot, getting you even closer to completing your collection! The designer, Mary Milner Dickens, said she found inspiration for the design from British author Arnold Bennett’s line that libraries were ‘an agency for the radiation of light.’
The years commemorating the 150 th anniversary, 18, are shown above the book. Within the pediment of the building are compact disks, representing the modern changes to libraries. The Public Libraries 50p reverse design shows a large open book with its pages turning while sitting on the roof of a classical architecture style public library building. The act became the foundation for today’s public libraries, allowing every one in society access to free knowledge and literature.
Introduced by William Ewart, it gave local boroughs the power to open their own free public libraries. The Royal Mint released this coin in 2000, marking the 150 th anniversary of the Public Libraries Act, an Act of Parliament which received Royal Assent in 1850. Introducing the Public Libraries 50p Coin
