Please refrain from commenting about politics or social aspects of the UK or other countries. Focus on the design or the historical and cultural aspects of the coins.
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
I've read every discworld (not his other work sadly!)
Definitely best author to come out of the UK other than Orwell.
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
Have been. They show her at several age milestones, teen to now.
You can find them on the royal mint site, they are 20 quid or so.
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
I didn't want to comment on the first thread because you ruined it unfortunately. However I have no problem commenting on the new thread.
I like the 20p and I love the 2p. All the others, not so much. The '1' on the 1p is way to large, and the text is way too small (and so is the mediocre design by the way). The 5p coins lack character because they are all just portraits of famous individuals. I agree they should be honored but not on regular circulation coins and they should have another design element aside from the picture. Plus having a person on two side of a coin can be confusing!
I'm not a fan of the 10p because it is just another Brittania. I like her but isn't she already on the 2£? The 1£ is okay but see my comments about the 20p coins.
I won't comment about the LGBT coin because you won't like what I have to say.
Overall I like this thread and I like that people are taking the time to resign their nations' coinage. +1
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
I do like the 2p design, however I question the need for 1p and 2p coins at all, it must cost more to produce the coins than what their face value is worth.
There's a huge need. How would you pay for something that's £1.99?
You can only say "keep the penny" so many times. Considering the hundreds of thousands of purchases you'll do in a lifetime, you could lose a huge amount of money.
Of course, if money were to be rounded up in order to stop the whole idea of "1.99 looks cheaper than 2", it would be fine. Don't some countries allow you to round up the price to avoid smaller coins?
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
In NZ we have gotten rid of 1, 2 and 5 cent coins and we don't have any issues. Things are still listed as $1.99, if you pay with a card (which most people do) you pay $1.99. If you pay cash it gets rounded. Sometimes you pay more, if you buy 1 item you pay an extra cent by paying cash, however if you buy a few items and the total is $5.02 then you pay 2c less. Nobody complains, the country hasn't gone bankrupt, civil war hasn't broken out. It's really no big deal.
That's a smart system. Here you're either forced to cough up the cents or the seller/cashier is nice and lets you off the hook.
Anyway, designed them for the sake of design. Add 0 to the 2P coin and it's the twenty pence coin, same design, more useful.
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
I believe it's called "Swedish rounding" 1,2,3,4 cents gets rounded down to the nearest 10. Then 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 get rounded up to the nearest 10.
There was a few grumbles when it was first introduced because people were claiming it was illegal to charge more than the advertised prices (i.e. paying $5.00 for something that cost $4.95) But after a couple of years nobody noticed.
No we're keeping the penny. Fuel is really expensive in the UK @ around £1.12 a litre, so when I go a penny or two over (every time) I get let off with it in the petty change lol !
What I find really annoying is the US. They don't list tax prices, so if you buy something at 8 dollars it's really 9.6 dollars.
Made buying anything with cash impossible if you didn't have more than the price.
Anyway, that's for another topic!
What would you guys want to see on the two pound coin? I was thinking to make it bi or tri metallic.
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
It depends on the state though. I don't think any state includes the sales tax but five don't have any (however, one, Alaska, allows municipalities to enforce a local sales tax).
The two pound coin doesn't need to be redesigned, it's brand new and very nice.
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
This one is about English history. We see everyone who has contributed to the melting pot that is now "British": the Celts, Romans, Normans, Germanic people and Vikings.
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
Ok. But then, Britannia is Romano-celtic-brythonic-anglo-saxon-jute-pictish-norman ...
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
Administrateur du catalogue, référent de nombreuses nations antiques et de la Lorraine.
Catalogue administrator, numerous Antique nations and Lorraine referee.
Who knows what will happen after that coin, though?
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
I've added the press release concerning the new coin aspect.
And about your £2 coin: the center is quite strange, like if it was a trimetallic or partially coated. This may involve a withdrawal of the former one.
For now UK only mint commemoratives on 50p., £2 & £5 coins. Just update it to these specifications and it would be easier to make it realistic.
Administrateur du catalogue, référent de nombreuses nations antiques et de la Lorraine.
Catalogue administrator, numerous Antique nations and Lorraine referee.
Design a coin which captures the spirit of William Blake's Jerusalem. It's not just the finest hymn ever penned but it sums up the concept of "British" quite uniquely and in a way that everyone, no matter what their individual beliefs can join in with.
I'm sure any of the English members can confirm the special place it has in English culture.
Quite a challenge for a Jewish bloke from New York.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Yes, that's the one. It's a staple of the Last Night of the Proms and at sporting events. It makes us feel better about losing, even to the Australians.
Here try this if you need any inspiration before you get started.
If that doesn't make you want to be an Englishman even for a short while then you just have no spark of magnificence in your soul. I'll guarantee that every one of us listening to that will have misty eyes and be standing just a little taller.
The final camera shot is where I was born and raised. That's why I get so terribly homesick it hurts.
"To be born an Englishman is to win first prize in God's lottery." - Rudyard Kipling (sometimes attributed to that other magnificent Englishman, Cecil Rhodes)
"....... and later today after Cricket practice, you is all going to be taught about Kipling by Prof. Pritchards..... Master Nightingale, why is you grinning like a 'ape? You is an 'ighly hignorant young fellow. I doubt you has ever even Kippled, so get your pads on boy and take your guard." - Ex RSM Ron "Cyclops" Pickup, Physical Ed. instructor addressing Lea Bank Lower 5th Cricket XI circa 1968. We didn't get along real well.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Thanks Phil! I was working on designing the coin already when you posted, so I didn't watch the video for inspiration. But I will right now, I promise!
Here is what I came up with:
Personally I think it is one of my best works, purely from the artistic front. Whether or not it fully captures the hymn in debatable!
"Celui qui combat des monstres doit prendre garde à ne pas devenir monstre lui-même. Si tu contemples longtemps un abîme, l’abîme aussi regarde en toi." N.
Ex-référent/modérateur/administrateur à la retraite
Regarding "keep the penny" situation... I grew up in Serbia, am living in the USA and lived in Czech Republic for a year, where I worked in a hostel. I met many foreigners there. People have really different attitudes when "Keep the penny" situations happens. For example, here in USA it never ever happens that you pay and cashier says "sorry, I don't have a penny" they always have it. In contrast, In Serbia most of the cashiers just tell you "I don't have small change" but even if they have it people are like "no thanks, I don't need that junk" and that is considered to be very normal. I would say that Czechs are between. Biggest problems are when you deal with foreigners.... Dude I really don't have your 1Serbian dinar =0.000000001 euro. But they think I am trying to rip them off.
Quote: "PajaSkot"Regarding "keep the penny" situation... I grew up in Serbia, am living in the USA and lived in Czech Republic for a year, where I worked in a hostel. I met many foreigners there. People have really different attitudes when "Keep the penny" situations happens. For example, here in USA it never ever happens that you pay and cashier says "sorry, I don't have a penny" they always have it. In contrast, In Serbia most of the cashiers just tell you "I don't have small change" but even if they have it people are like "no thanks, I don't need that junk" and that is considered to be very normal. I would say that Czechs are between. Biggest problems are when you deal with foreigners.... Dude I really don't have your 1Serbian dinar =0.000000001 euro. But they think I am trying to rip them off.
I've been to several countries where it was a quite normal practice for shopkeepers to give a handful of wrapped sweets in lieu of change. After getting over the culture shock I found it quite charming.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Quote: "PajaSkot"Regarding "keep the penny" situation... I grew up in Serbia, am living in the USA and lived in Czech Republic for a year, where I worked in a hostel. I met many foreigners there. People have really different attitudes when "Keep the penny" situations happens. For example, here in USA it never ever happens that you pay and cashier says "sorry, I don't have a penny" they always have it. In contrast, In Serbia most of the cashiers just tell you "I don't have small change" but even if they have it people are like "no thanks, I don't need that junk" and that is considered to be very normal. I would say that Czechs are between. Biggest problems are when you deal with foreigners.... Dude I really don't have your 1Serbian dinar =0.000000001 euro. But they think I am trying to rip them off.
I've been to several countries where it was a quite normal practice for shopkeepers to give a handful of wrapped sweets in lieu of change. After getting over the culture shock I found it quite charming.
I eared a similar practice occurs in North Korea, as people having no trust in their own currency...
Administrateur du catalogue, référent de nombreuses nations antiques et de la Lorraine.
Catalogue administrator, numerous Antique nations and Lorraine referee.
We don't really see the value on the One p coin...
"Celui qui combat des monstres doit prendre garde à ne pas devenir monstre lui-même. Si tu contemples longtemps un abîme, l’abîme aussi regarde en toi." N.
Ex-référent/modérateur/administrateur à la retraite
Now please, for the love of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, redesign the American coins! I've seen washers with more detail and character than the disks we lug around. I mean, really, think about the pocket sculpture one would've been carrying in 1925 versus what we have today -- in the immortal words of Theodore Roosevelt, "I think our coinage is artistically of atrocious hideousness."
"Well, believe me, I calculated the odds of success versus the odds I was doing something incredibly stupid -- and I went ahead anyway."
--Crow T. Robot, Mystery Science Theater: The Movie
Yeah good job Dan. Although there are a couple I'd toss out for different reasons at least you have given it the good old school try at design. By that I mean use of abstract and themes, even some original work. I don't normally comment on these type of posts, at least not regarding quality because I am completely devoid of any type of artistic ability whatsoever. I'd be just too wide open for a "let's see you do better" response. Momma Nightingale din' raise no foo's.
So while I'm tone deaf, I love Wagner and can rattle of his entire catalog, I can't draw but I'm not getting fooled by frauds like Warhol. I might take up painting watercolors for my own amusement though. The point I'm making is of course that you don't need to be skilled to have a valid opinion and in my opinion good design requires thought and originality. Simply cropping a round photo of someone you like and calling it a coin design, well that's shall we say.... simplistic. Sticking an LGBT text box on an otherwise meaningless "design" is much the same although I suspect it was more in the spirit of causing an argument over the ridiculous content than a true design attempt.
I'm a huge admirer of the Una and the Lion Design but because it is so special it belongs on a special coin and never one intended to be handled by the unwashed masses. For larger denominations we have always had the beautiful Benedetto Pistrucci’s George and Dragon with Britannia used for minor coins. Anyone else ever notice that?
The attempt to capture the Jerusalem theme is pretty good for a Jewish Noo Yawk Yankee. That's pretty much the way I'd have gone too being from the Pennines, but Jerusalem means different things to different people although we all agree it's about being "British".
A non seated Britannia might raise some eyebrows but it was done during Edward VII's reign with very nice results. For the minor coins why not separate the three motifs of the classic Britannia coins, the lady herself, the ship and the lighthouse?
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
"HOW DARE YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT POSSIBLY WRITING SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BY POSSIBLY CONSIDERED CRITICAL!!! YOU DESERVE TO BE LOCKED UP FOR THAT!!!"
[Edited]
Phil - thank you for the honest and detailed review of my coin designs.
I agree with you on the Una and the Lion design but in a different way. I don't see a problem with having beautiful circulating coinage. Nowadays, mints have such sophisticated technology there is no reason why circulating coins shouldn't be. However, I think that exceptionally beautiful NCLTs, such as this one, are perfectly acceptable (as opposed to the junk pumped out by mints nowadays).
I have to admit I've never heard of Jerusalem (the hymn not the city!) before so any comment about it which could remotely be considered positive is a victory for me!
Separating the motifs of the original Britannia coins sounds like an intriguing idea. Unfortunately there are only two coppers coins so it would be hard to do that. And I want to keep my 1p design unless there is something absolutely wrong about it. What do you say about putting the lighthouse on the 5p?
What about reusing some old designs, e.g. from pre-decimal coins ? I would like to see the standing lion which was shown in dptashny´s penny on 5 pence as "shilling" successor :D
Nope food and drink on the 1-10p coins, then you could have a dart board on the 20p, a snooker table on the 50p, a soccer field on the £1. and cricket pitch on the £2 Things that just scream ENGLAND!
Admittedly, I was never a fan of Benny Hill, but if anyone designs one with Basil Fawlty on (preferably thrashing his car to within an inch of its life) I would snap it up
Out of curiosity, what programme do you(s) use to design these coins? Think I only have paint on my old crappy computer and it's not good at all!! Thanks (in advance).
I was introduced to PhotoScape by the Numista Team Member KennyG and have used it ever since. It's not too sophisticated but it has everything you need as a coin collector. You can easily crop round images and then it's a single click to turn up the contrast for silver and use "backlight" to bring out the details on copper. That's everything I need in 3 mouse clicks.
You can download it for free as Cnet.
A lot of people use Gimp and there was a really useful tutorial by Naleberong on it's use a few weeks ago. A forum search for "Gimp" will find it.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
Quote: "pcarey2003"Just found a post from nthn regarding pixlr, and come up (very quickly) with the following:
lol
There! Now you're a coin designer too.
I remember that episode well. It's my favorite along with the one with Manuel's rat and of course not mentioning the war to the Germans. Such a shame they didn't make more episodes.
Non illegitimis carborundum est. Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
Quote: "pnightingale"Here try this if you need any inspiration before you get started.
"....... and later today after Cricket practice, you is all going to be taught about Kipling by Prof. Pritchards..... Master Nightingale, why is you grinning like a 'ape? You is an 'ighly hignorant young fellow. I doubt you has ever even Kippled, so get your pads on boy and take your guard." - Ex RSM Ron "Cyclops" Pickup, Physical Ed. instructor addressing Lea Bank Lower 5th Cricket XI circa 1968. We didn't get along real well.
I'm glad you bumped this post SRowe. I needed a some inspiration and a good laugh.
You come back weeks later with this comment? Relax man!!
Btw, two words for you SRowe. Fume Hood.
It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure, that just ain't so. Mark Twain
What worries about this thread is - that so much time and effort and immense skill goes into these designs (not Basil and Benny obviously) is that no one at the Royal Mint or POBJOY is watching or listening , so some of the lovely designs will never see the light of day.
What if Numista members were to. Lobby mints to run a design competition for new currencies. I know an 50 C Australian was the result of a competition winner and I'm fairly certain that one of the Olympic 50ps was too. You learned lot will know.
ps was going to sign with the name of the benny hill character with the new beret was it Fred scuttle .
pps trimetallic coin would - be good also you all know some countries have weird shapes as coins (classic not motorbikes and such) triangles etc Perhaps avid designers on here could come up with some and what about the first British coin with a hole in it. Off you go!
"In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed"
-Jack Churchill, on his assault of a Nazi german camp riding a motorcycle with his bow and arrows, scottish claymore and bagpipes
SCHOOLBOY ERROR- I was thinking in bed (sad I know) that old commonwealth coins (India) had British Coins with a hole in - so it would not be first such British coin.
R.I.P. Sir Terry Pratchett 
how about bi-metallic 2 pound coin? 
love it
