British History

Here at The Westminster Collection, we’ve had the privilege of working in partnership with the Royal British Legion for over a decade.

Each year, we issue bespoke coins and commemoratives for the RBL Poppy Appeal and Remembrance Day.

And we’re incredibly proud to have so far raised over £1 million for the Royal British Legion.

Unboxing the 2022 RBL Poppy Masterpiece

The Masterpiece is a remarkable coin and this year, creating the Masterpiece has more of a personal touch than ever before.

Each coin has been meticulously painted by hand, making each one unique.

Never has the name “Masterpiece” been more appropriate. Each coin is a work of art, but how do you go about creating 350 pieces of unique artwork?

“The 2022 Masterpiece Poppy Coin is a timeless token of Remembrance. Not only is this coin a poignant reminder of all those who have served and sacrificed, but it also helps the Royal British Legion continue to be there for today’s Armed Forces community, no matter what.”

Charles Byrne , Director General of the Royal British Legion

One of a Kind – Creating a Masterpiece

This year’s Masterpiece coin has been expertly designed by Beata Kulesza-Damaziak. Beata has a studio in Warsaw, Poland, designing sculptures, book covers and has produced many coin designs.

Beata’s design has been struck in high relief on 5oz Pure Silver blanks, with different heights of relief applied to give a real depth to the design.

Keen-eyed observers will see a map of the Falklands on the very bottom layer, with a total of 40 poppies poignantly sitting on top to mark the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War.

The largest and 40th poppy sits proudly in the middle of the coin. It’s that poppy that elevates the coin to status of “Masterpiece”.

Every single coin has had that poppy hand-painted by artist Adam Taylor, making each one unique.

Most colour on coins these days is printed using high-speed pad-printing machines or using modern UV printing techniques. Adam has used traditional model-painting techniques on the coins, which means each one has unique brush-strokes and subtle differences in the colours.

Adding acrylic paint to the high relief poppy gives it that iconic red colour and further enhances the coin design. The time, care and attention required on a project such as this, truly does make each one of the 350 a one-off.

Adam dedicated hour upon hour to these coins, adding the personal touches to make each one a true Masterpiece.

Secure your hand-painted, one of a kind RBL Poppy Masterpiece Coin here>>