Catalogue Number
NMLH.2018.167
Object Name
Coin
Date
1918
Description
UK 50p silver proof coin issued by the Royal Mint to commemorate the centenary of the passing of the Representation of the People Act through Parliament in 1918. 3,500 coins of this Limited Edition Presentation have been issued. The one owned by the Peopleâs History Museum has the number 1723. The obverse designer is Jody Clarck, the reverse designer is Stephen Taylor. He says about his design that it âuses the familiar idea of a British queue, to suggest a line of people waiting to cast their votes at the ballot box. It began with the strong, celebratory pose of the woman holding her ballot aloft, followed by the soldier, the working-class man and the suffragette. He paid careful attention to their poses and clothing, showing the different classes of society finally being given a political voice after âyears of struggling to be heardâ.
The passing of the Representation of the People Act 1918 through Parliament was hailed as a milestone for freedom and democracy. Previously, the right to vote had been based on gender and traditional rules of land and property ownership. This allowed only a small proportion of men a political voice and excluded women completely, meaning that before 1918 only 29% of the adult population had the right to vote.
