During the course of a discussion elsewhere, I noted that Numista has a general lack of trivia. My assumption was Numista avoided such things as it wanted to be a direct factual reference catalogue, but a couple of other users have said that that is not the case - it's simply a case that no-one has actually added any trivia.
I wanted to open a discussion with the Numista family as a whole & get some general opinions and then, if we can come to a positive consensus, either roll it out or at least put it into as an official “Suggestion”. I think that we should strive to avoid copy/paste jobs and try to keep each point fairly short & snappy - ideally no more than two sentences. Given the lack of a trivia subsection, I propose that any trivia is simply added as a comment. As always, relevant sources must be cited to make a change to the catalogue.
I'm sure most of us have come across random little oddments of trivia as we've browsed through the catalogue, and I think that most pieces could be broken down into one of three overarching categories: Technical, Elemental, and Representative. I'd like to see whether people are interested in all of them, or only some of them. I know the representative trivia has a significant risk of going off on a tangent which some people may find interesting and others too distracting.
Technical
This is trivia which directly related to the production, distribution & similar such technical attributes of the coins.
“This was the first bimetallic coin ever issued in the UK”
“Although dated 1997, they were not released into general circulation until 1998. This was because of concerns raised by businesses, especially within the vending community, who asked for more time for testing & to adjust their machinery”
N#330411
“The last circulating coin to be issued during the reign of Elizabeth II”
“The only Charles III circulating coin to be issued before his coronation”
Elemental
This is trivia which has relates to an element lifted directly from the coin, such as part of the design or an edge inscription.
“The bridge featured in the background is the Royal Albert Bridge. This was the final bridge designed by Brunel built in his lifetime; he died only a few months after the bridge was completed”
Edge inscription is “Mind the Gap”
“Although the phrase ”Mind the Gap" is iconically tied to the London Underground, the phrase wasn't used in a public service announcement until 1968/9; over a hundred years after the Underground opened"
N#79007
Edge inscription is “The Hollow Crown”
“The hollow crown is a passage from “Richard II” believed to have been written around 1595”
Representative
This is trivia which discusses what is represented on the coin in a broader scope.
“The UK's first Fish & Chip shops are believed to have been opened around 1860”
“The dish became a popular staple of British culture during the two world wars. This is because they were one of the very few foodstuffs not to be subject to rationing”
“Some estimates are that the largest UK government purchases in 1942 were, in order of weight: bullets, tea, artillery shells, bombs, other general explosives.”
“Tea was, and still is, considered essential to UK morale within the military. During the World Wars, most ration & Red Cross packs included tea."
"UK made tanks have frequently included an internal tea kettle. The popular belief is that this was done to prevent tank crews leaving their tanks to make tea, as they may then be shot by the enemy”
“The oak tree is an ancient symbol of strength and was known to be used by Roman Emperors & later kings”
“According to popular legend, after defeat in the Battle of Worcester (1651) during the English Civil War, the future king Charles II avoided capture by hiding in an oak tree. After the restoration of the Monarchy (1660), the oak tree became a popular symbol of English royalty & by extension, England itself”
POLL
All questions are a simple yes/no.
- Should Numista allow users to add trivia, provided appropriate sources can be cited?
- Would you like to see technical trivia?
- Would you like to see elemental trivia?
- Would you like to see representative trivia?
Also, please do feel free to discuss your suggestions on how any trivia should be added (Comments? New trivia section?), and what you feel is a reasonably appropriate amount of content (couple of sentences, a short paragraph, etc?) as well as anything else which feels related.
