Royal Mint unveils £5 John Lennon coin - for £44.99

Money can't buy you love, but a £5 John Lennon coin is now available from the Royal Mint - priced at £44.99.

The Beatles singer, whose hits include Penny Lane, easily won the public vote for the next "Great Briton" to be immortalised on a coin, beating a line-up of historical figures including Jane Austen and John Logie Baird. He now joins luminaries of the past including William Shakespeare, Sir Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale in the series.

In what would have been his 70th year, Lennon fans used the social networking groups and Twitter to ensure their man came out on top. In total, 27,874 people (92%) nominated the singer to take his place in monetary history.

Dave Knight, director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, said: "It's entirely fitting that John Lennon has been chosen by the public in what would have been his seventieth year.

"The massive proportion of the vote he received shows clearly just how much his untimely death still resonates with the nation.