Britain's most spectacular commemoratives, No40: 1998 National Health Service 43p

An eye-catching set used helping hands to convey the ethos of the National Health Service on its 50th anniversary.

Other designs showed hands forming a heart, taking a pulse and reassuring a child, all realised simply in sepia and white. 

But the 43p is most emotive, as the hands form a cradle which suggests care and protection.

Design: Vince Frost.

Printing: offset lithography by Questa.

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