The U.K. has used the seven-sided 50 pence coin to celebrate national achievements ranging from the London Olympics of 2012 to the work of children’s author Beatrix Potter. Now about one million of the distinctive coins minted to mark the U.K.’s planned divorce from the European Union on Oct. 31 are being melted down. The Royal Mint acted after Prime Minister Boris Johnson requested a delay until Jan. 31. As Bloomberg revealed in October, some of the coins had already been made when Johnson wrote to the EU asking for a Brexit extension. But the extent of his government’s over-confidence was only fully revealed on ... (full story)