Latest on new UK circulation designs for 2008

In the March 2008 edition of "Coin News" (UK), Michael Alexander,
President of the London Banknote and Monetary Research Centre comments
on the new (as yet unseen) UK 2008 reverse designs for the 1p to 50p
coins. With regard to the recent newspaper-led furore over the coming
loss of Britannia from the reverse of the 50p coin, he writes:

"As the Royal Mint have reiterated to me: 'The new designs do take on
a traditional theme that reflects the nation's rich heritage,
including our historic national and heraldic emblems, and treat it in
an innovative and contemporary way'.

"I will be conducting an exclusive interview with the artist whose
designs were chosen for this important numismatic event in the coming
weeks on behalf of COIN NEWS and will be able to give a more informed
and insightful comment about the new circulation coin series after
that...My interview in its entirety, with images, will appear on the
website of COIN NEWS on the day of the launch, which will be announced
by the Royal Mint."

This confirms the view of the poster who reported the mention of such
designs in the London Gazette. My initial reaction was disappointment,
as I was looking for something modern, i.e. in keeping with the times,
which heraldry certainly isn't. When I say modern, I don't mean
something that, as Tony Clayton suggested, would date as quickly as
flared trousers.

I agree with Tony Clayton, however, that heraldry has provided great
artistic inspiration for our British coins over the centuries. I just
don't find heraldry to be relevant to the 21st century. I may or may
not change my view when I see the designs.

I was pleased to see the release of the recent "bridge series"
reverses for our UK pound coins, as I'd long wanted to see some
representational designs on our circulation coins (as opposed to
heraldic or symbolic ones). The recent one-off annual 50p and £2 coin
designs have included some representational designs, of course. Of
late, however, I find myself looking with greater interest at the
heraldic and symbolic circulation pound designs (pre-2004) in my
change. That's human nature for you, I suppose. So who knows, maybe I
will admire the coming 1p to 50p designs, once I see them.

Anyway, to put my disappointment to rest, here is my description of
the reverse designs of the ideal UK set that never was and never will
be:

1p - Mole. Beautiful tiny creature that would fit well onto the small
penny.

2p - Traditionally this design is reserved for Wales, hence I would
like to see an attractive and realistic rendition of a daffodil, one
of the national emblems of Wales.

5p - A Scottish piper. The 5p reverse design is traditionally reserved
for Scotland.

10p - Stonehenge. Though located near Salisbury, England, it speaks of
our Celtic prehistory, and so should appeal to the four indigenous
nationalities of Britain. Stonehenge is well-known around the world,
so such a design would appeal to tourists as well.

20p - Big Ben. Another well-known tourist sight, and a reminder that
Britain is a parliamentary democracy.

50p - A European badger. A most handsome British beast.


Finally, I do hope the Royal Mint produces a book illustrating some of
the actual designs that never were, i.e. a selection of the
unsuccessful competition entries.

Adam.

On Mar 1, 7:41*am, wrote:
In the March 2008 edition of "Coin News" (UK), Michael Alexander,
President of the London Banknote and Monetary Research Centre comments
on the new (as yet unseen) UK 2008 reverse designs for the 1p to 50p
coins. With regard to the recent newspaper-led furore over the coming
loss of Britannia from the reverse of the 50p coin, he writes:

"As the Royal Mint have reiterated to me: 'The new designs do take on
a traditional theme that reflects the nation's rich heritage,
including our historic national and heraldic emblems, and treat it in
an innovative and contemporary way'.

"I will be conducting an exclusive interview with the artist whose
designs were chosen for this important numismatic event in the coming
weeks on behalf of COIN NEWS and will be able to give a more informed
and insightful comment about the new circulation coin series after
that...My interview in its entirety, with images, will appear on the
website of COIN NEWS on the day of the launch, which will be announced
by the Royal Mint."

This confirms the view of the poster who reported the mention of such
designs in the London Gazette. My initial reaction was disappointment,
as I was looking for something modern, i.e. in keeping with the times,
which heraldry certainly isn't. When I say modern, I don't mean
something that, as Tony Clayton suggested, would date as quickly as
flared trousers.

I agree with Tony Clayton, however, that heraldry has provided great
artistic inspiration for our British coins over the centuries. I just
don't find heraldry to be relevant to the 21st century. I may or may
not change my view when I see the designs.

I was pleased to see the release of the recent "bridge series"
reverses for our UK pound coins, as I'd long wanted to see some
representational designs on our circulation coins (as opposed to
heraldic or symbolic ones). The recent one-off annual 50p and £2 coin
designs have included some representational designs, of course. Of
late, however, I find myself looking with greater interest at the
heraldic and symbolic circulation pound designs (pre-2004) in my
change. That's human nature for you, I suppose. So who knows, maybe I
will admire the coming 1p to 50p designs, once I see them.

Anyway, to put my disappointment to rest, here is my description of
the reverse designs of the ideal UK set that never was and never will
be:

1p - Mole. Beautiful tiny creature that would fit well onto the small
penny.

2p - Traditionally this design is reserved for Wales, hence I would
like to see an attractive and realistic rendition of a daffodil, one
of the national emblems of Wales.

5p - A Scottish piper. The 5p reverse design is traditionally reserved
for Scotland.

10p - Stonehenge. Though located near Salisbury, England, it speaks of
our Celtic prehistory, and so should appeal to the four indigenous
nationalities of Britain. Stonehenge is well-known around the world,
so such a design would appeal to tourists as well.

20p - Big Ben. Another well-known tourist sight, and a reminder that
Britain is a parliamentary democracy.

50p - A European badger. A most handsome British beast.

Finally, I do hope the Royal Mint produces a book illustrating some of
the actual designs that never were, i.e. a selection of the
unsuccessful competition entries.

Adam.

You know, Stonehenge as we know it today is a crock of ****. They
might as well have carted away all the original stones, thrown them in
the ocean, and given Walt Disney some bull**** concept about the
"great and wise Druids" and let Uncle Walter re-design it all from
scratch.

Stonehenge is one of my big buggaboos. The stones as they sat 100-150
years ago and the way they are set up today are bull****. There are
almost innumerable old time photos which show how they stones were
back ten. Today, the "scientists" have even filled in portions of
some of the stones with concrete and fiberglass to make them "more
regular" and "more pretty".

oly

You know, Stonehenge as we know it today is a crock of ****. *
Some one has been using it as a lavatory?! Call the police,
immediately!

Stonehenge is one of my big buggaboos. *The stones as they sat 100-150
years ago and the way they are set up today are bull****. *There are
almost innumerable old time photos which show how they stones were
back then.
We humans have a great respect for authenticity and a deep need to
preserve. Unfortunately, there's this thing called entropy, and of
course, we humans are also deeply interventionist. Inevitably over the
years, decades, centuries, humans will have damaged or rearranged the
stones, or stolen parts of them. In Victorian times, visitors used to
take a chisel. So your wishes regarding the stones are sadly not
practical.

My own bugbear is that the site, though situated out in the
countryside, is only metres away from a road, with cars whizzing by.
This noisy and intrusive modernity thoroughly spoilt the experience
for me.

Interestingly, the Japanese have a different take on authenticity.
They believe that the spirit of a thing resides in its form, so they
think nothing of dismantling a structure and re-erecting it elsewhere,
or else destroying the original and rebuilding it as an exact and
faithful copy. Or so I've read.

Adam.

"oly" wrote in message
...
On Mar 1, 7:41 am, wrote:
In the March 2008 edition of "Coin News" (UK), Michael Alexander,
President of the London Banknote and Monetary Research Centre comments
on the new (as yet unseen) UK 2008 reverse designs for the 1p to 50p
coins. With regard to the recent newspaper-led furore over the coming
loss of Britannia from the reverse of the 50p coin, he writes:

"As the Royal Mint have reiterated to me: 'The new designs do take on
a traditional theme that reflects the nation's rich heritage,
including our historic national and heraldic emblems, and treat it in
an innovative and contemporary way'.

"I will be conducting an exclusive interview with the artist whose
designs were chosen for this important numismatic event in the coming
weeks on behalf of COIN NEWS and will be able to give a more informed
and insightful comment about the new circulation coin series after
that...My interview in its entirety, with images, will appear on the
website of COIN NEWS on the day of the launch, which will be announced
by the Royal Mint."

This confirms the view of the poster who reported the mention of such
designs in the London Gazette. My initial reaction was disappointment,
as I was looking for something modern, i.e. in keeping with the times,
which heraldry certainly isn't. When I say modern, I don't mean
something that, as Tony Clayton suggested, would date as quickly as
flared trousers.

I agree with Tony Clayton, however, that heraldry has provided great
artistic inspiration for our British coins over the centuries. I just
don't find heraldry to be relevant to the 21st century. I may or may
not change my view when I see the designs.

I was pleased to see the release of the recent "bridge series"
reverses for our UK pound coins, as I'd long wanted to see some
representational designs on our circulation coins (as opposed to
heraldic or symbolic ones). The recent one-off annual 50p and £2 coin
designs have included some representational designs, of course. Of
late, however, I find myself looking with greater interest at the
heraldic and symbolic circulation pound designs (pre-2004) in my
change. That's human nature for you, I suppose. So who knows, maybe I
will admire the coming 1p to 50p designs, once I see them.

Anyway, to put my disappointment to rest, here is my description of
the reverse designs of the ideal UK set that never was and never will
be:

1p - Mole. Beautiful tiny creature that would fit well onto the small
penny.

2p - Traditionally this design is reserved for Wales, hence I would
like to see an attractive and realistic rendition of a daffodil, one
of the national emblems of Wales.

5p - A Scottish piper. The 5p reverse design is traditionally reserved
for Scotland.

10p - Stonehenge. Though located near Salisbury, England, it speaks of
our Celtic prehistory, and so should appeal to the four indigenous
nationalities of Britain. Stonehenge is well-known around the world,
so such a design would appeal to tourists as well.

20p - Big Ben. Another well-known tourist sight, and a reminder that
Britain is a parliamentary democracy.

50p - A European badger. A most handsome British beast.

Finally, I do hope the Royal Mint produces a book illustrating some of
the actual designs that never were, i.e. a selection of the
unsuccessful competition entries.

Adam.

You know, Stonehenge as we know it today is a crock of ****. They
might as well have carted away all the original stones, thrown them in
the ocean, and given Walt Disney some bull**** concept about the
"great and wise Druids" and let Uncle Walter re-design it all from
scratch.

Stonehenge is one of my big buggaboos. The stones as they sat 100-150
years ago and the way they are set up today are bull****. There are
almost innumerable old time photos which show how they stones were
back ten. Today, the "scientists" have even filled in portions of
some of the stones with concrete and fiberglass to make them "more
regular" and "more pretty".

oly
____________________

So do you think historic treasures like the coliseum, Egyptian temples,
Plymouth Colony, and old Jerusalem look exactly the same as they once did,
and without some modern "help"? I enjoyed visiting Stonehenge without the
need for a critical analysis of how it might have changed from the way it
looked millenniums ago. Bull**** never entered my mind.

On Mar 1, 8:22*am, "Bruce Remick" wrote:
"oly" wrote in message

...
On Mar 1, 7:41 am, wrote:





In the March 2008 edition of "Coin News" (UK), Michael Alexander,
President of the London Banknote and Monetary Research Centre comments
on the new (as yet unseen) UK 2008 reverse designs for the 1p to 50p
coins. With regard to the recent newspaper-led furore over the coming
loss of Britannia from the reverse of the 50p coin, he writes:

"As the Royal Mint have reiterated to me: 'The new designs do take on
a traditional theme that reflects the nation's rich heritage,
including our historic national and heraldic emblems, and treat it in
an innovative and contemporary way'.

"I will be conducting an exclusive interview with the artist whose
designs were chosen for this important numismatic event in the coming
weeks on behalf of COIN NEWS and will be able to give a more informed
and insightful comment about the new circulation coin series after
that...My interview in its entirety, with images, will appear on the
website of COIN NEWS on the day of the launch, which will be announced
by the Royal Mint."

This confirms the view of the poster who reported the mention of such
designs in the London Gazette. My initial reaction was disappointment,
as I was looking for something modern, i.e. in keeping with the times,
which heraldry certainly isn't. When I say modern, I don't mean
something that, as Tony Clayton suggested, would date as quickly as
flared trousers.

I agree with Tony Clayton, however, that heraldry has provided great
artistic inspiration for our British coins over the centuries. I just
don't find heraldry to be relevant to the 21st century. I may or may
not change my view when I see the designs.

I was pleased to see the release of the recent "bridge series"
reverses for our UK pound coins, as I'd long wanted to see some
representational designs on our circulation coins (as opposed to
heraldic or symbolic ones). The recent one-off annual 50p and £2 coin
designs have included some representational designs, of course. Of
late, however, I find myself looking with greater interest at the
heraldic and symbolic circulation pound designs (pre-2004) in my
change. That's human nature for you, I suppose. So who knows, maybe I
will admire the coming 1p to 50p designs, once I see them.

Anyway, to put my disappointment to rest, here is my description of
the reverse designs of the ideal UK set that never was and never will
be:

1p - Mole. Beautiful tiny creature that would fit well onto the small
penny.

2p - Traditionally this design is reserved for Wales, hence I would
like to see an attractive and realistic rendition of a daffodil, one
of the national emblems of Wales.

5p - A Scottish piper. The 5p reverse design is traditionally reserved
for Scotland.

10p - Stonehenge. Though located near Salisbury, England, it speaks of
our Celtic prehistory, and so should appeal to the four indigenous
nationalities of Britain. Stonehenge is well-known around the world,
so such a design would appeal to tourists as well.

20p - Big Ben. Another well-known tourist sight, and a reminder that
Britain is a parliamentary democracy.

50p - A European badger. A most handsome British beast.

Finally, I do hope the Royal Mint produces a book illustrating some of
the actual designs that never were, i.e. a selection of the
unsuccessful competition entries.

Adam.

You know, Stonehenge as we know it today is a crock of ****. *They
might as well have carted away all the original stones, thrown them in
the ocean, and given Walt Disney some bull**** concept about the
"great and wise Druids" and let Uncle Walter re-design it all from
scratch.

Stonehenge is one of my big buggaboos. *The stones as they sat 100-150
years ago and the way they are set up today are bull****. *There are
almost innumerable old time photos which show how they stones were
back ten. *Today, the "scientists" have even filled in portions of
some of the stones with concrete and fiberglass to make them "more
regular" and "more pretty".

oly
____________________

So do you think historic treasures like the coliseum, Egyptian temples,
Plymouth Colony, and old Jerusalem look exactly the same as they once did,
and without some modern "help"? *I enjoyed visiting Stonehenge without the
need for a critical analysis of how it might have changed from the way it
looked millenniums ago. *Bull**** never entered my mind.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You'd probably prefer the Elgin Marbles if somebody had taken a
lapidary tool to them too. You probably don't mind altered coins
either. We've sure got people here who would sell them to you.

oly

"oly" wrote in message
You know, Stonehenge as we know it today is a crock of ****. They
might as well have carted away all the original stones, thrown them in
the ocean, and given Walt Disney some bull**** concept about the
"great and wise Druids" and let Uncle Walter re-design it all from
scratch.

Stonehenge is one of my big buggaboos. The stones as they sat 100-150
years ago and the way they are set up today are bull****. There are
almost innumerable old time photos which show how they stones were
back ten. Today, the "scientists" have even filled in portions of
some of the stones with concrete and fiberglass to make them "more
regular" and "more pretty".

oly

Actually there are prehistoric sites that are much more elaborate, much more
original, and much more meaningful for history than Stonehenge in Britain.
And fortunately for the determined, they are much off the beaten tourism
path, in the farest North of Britain on some cold, barren windswept Isles.
I could give a rats snarfy underside for Stonehenge, but that other place is
what I truly want to see. Stonehenge is for tourists, and druid wannabees,
but that other place is for the hardcores.

On Mar 1, 11:58*am, "scottishmoney" wrote:
"oly" wrote in message
You know, Stonehenge as we know it today is a crock of ****. *They
might as well have carted away all the original stones, thrown them in
the ocean, and given Walt Disney some bull**** concept about the
"great and wise Druids" and let Uncle Walter re-design it all from
scratch.
Stonehenge is one of my big buggaboos. *The stones as they sat 100-150
years ago and the way they are set up today are bull****. *There are
almost innumerable old time photos which show how they stones were
back ten. *Today, the "scientists" have even filled in portions of
some of the stones with concrete and fiberglass to make them "more
regular" and "more pretty".
oly

Actually there are prehistoric sites that are much more elaborate, much more
original, and much more meaningful for history than Stonehenge in Britain.
And fortunately for the determined, they are much off the beaten tourism
path, in the farest North of Britain on some cold, barren windswept Isles.
I could give a rats snarfy underside for Stonehenge, but that other place is
what I truly want to see. *Stonehenge is for tourists, and druid wannabees,
but that other place is for the hardcores.

The druid wannabees are good for belly yuks, that's for sure.

The beauty is that there are people who want to build a "replica" of
the present psuedo-Stonehenge. A replica of a replica of something
that may not have existed in the form/use that some moderns want so
desperately to believe in.

oly

"oly" wrote in message

The druid wannabees are good for belly yuks, that's for sure.

The beauty is that there are people who want to build a "replica" of
the present psuedo-Stonehenge. A replica of a replica of something
that may not have existed in the form/use that some moderns want so
desperately to believe in.

oly


Not even more than a few kilometres from Stonehenge there is another more
original site, left as it was, but again off the beaten path. But for
myself, I would much rather see that one in the far North, much much more
interesting and not trampled over by fools.

"Bruce Remick" wrote in message
...

"oly" wrote in message
...
On Mar 1, 7:41 am, wrote:
In the March 2008 edition of "Coin News" (UK), Michael Alexander,
President of the London Banknote and Monetary Research Centre comments
on the new (as yet unseen) UK 2008 reverse designs for the 1p to 50p
coins. With regard to the recent newspaper-led furore over the coming
loss of Britannia from the reverse of the 50p coin, he writes:

"As the Royal Mint have reiterated to me: 'The new designs do take on
a traditional theme that reflects the nation's rich heritage,
including our historic national and heraldic emblems, and treat it in
an innovative and contemporary way'.

"I will be conducting an exclusive interview with the artist whose
designs were chosen for this important numismatic event in the coming
weeks on behalf of COIN NEWS and will be able to give a more informed
and insightful comment about the new circulation coin series after
that...My interview in its entirety, with images, will appear on the
website of COIN NEWS on the day of the launch, which will be announced
by the Royal Mint."

This confirms the view of the poster who reported the mention of such
designs in the London Gazette. My initial reaction was disappointment,
as I was looking for something modern, i.e. in keeping with the times,
which heraldry certainly isn't. When I say modern, I don't mean
something that, as Tony Clayton suggested, would date as quickly as
flared trousers.

I agree with Tony Clayton, however, that heraldry has provided great
artistic inspiration for our British coins over the centuries. I just
don't find heraldry to be relevant to the 21st century. I may or may
not change my view when I see the designs.

I was pleased to see the release of the recent "bridge series"
reverses for our UK pound coins, as I'd long wanted to see some
representational designs on our circulation coins (as opposed to
heraldic or symbolic ones). The recent one-off annual 50p and £2 coin
designs have included some representational designs, of course. Of
late, however, I find myself looking with greater interest at the
heraldic and symbolic circulation pound designs (pre-2004) in my
change. That's human nature for you, I suppose. So who knows, maybe I
will admire the coming 1p to 50p designs, once I see them.

Anyway, to put my disappointment to rest, here is my description of
the reverse designs of the ideal UK set that never was and never will
be:

1p - Mole. Beautiful tiny creature that would fit well onto the small
penny.

2p - Traditionally this design is reserved for Wales, hence I would
like to see an attractive and realistic rendition of a daffodil, one
of the national emblems of Wales.

5p - A Scottish piper. The 5p reverse design is traditionally reserved
for Scotland.

10p - Stonehenge. Though located near Salisbury, England, it speaks of
our Celtic prehistory, and so should appeal to the four indigenous
nationalities of Britain. Stonehenge is well-known around the world,
so such a design would appeal to tourists as well.

20p - Big Ben. Another well-known tourist sight, and a reminder that
Britain is a parliamentary democracy.

50p - A European badger. A most handsome British beast.

Finally, I do hope the Royal Mint produces a book illustrating some of
the actual designs that never were, i.e. a selection of the
unsuccessful competition entries.

Adam.

You know, Stonehenge as we know it today is a crock of ****. They
might as well have carted away all the original stones, thrown them in
the ocean, and given Walt Disney some bull**** concept about the
"great and wise Druids" and let Uncle Walter re-design it all from
scratch.

Stonehenge is one of my big buggaboos. The stones as they sat 100-150
years ago and the way they are set up today are bull****. There are
almost innumerable old time photos which show how they stones were
back ten. Today, the "scientists" have even filled in portions of
some of the stones with concrete and fiberglass to make them "more
regular" and "more pretty".

oly
____________________

So do you think historic treasures like the coliseum, Egyptian temples,
Plymouth Colony, and old Jerusalem look exactly the same as they once did,
and without some modern "help"? I enjoyed visiting Stonehenge without the
need for a critical analysis of how it might have changed from the way it
looked millenniums ago. Bull**** never entered my mind.







I visited Stonehenge many years ago and I was surprised at how small the
stones were, it is still an amazing achievement for having being built so
long ago.

I have never been to the Pyramids in Egypt, too hot for me, but it you have
a look on Google Earth they are very close to the modern city. Billy

"scottishmoney" wrote in message
...


"oly" wrote in message
You know, Stonehenge as we know it today is a crock of ****. They
might as well have carted away all the original stones, thrown them in
the ocean, and given Walt Disney some bull**** concept about the
"great and wise Druids" and let Uncle Walter re-design it all from
scratch.

Stonehenge is one of my big buggaboos. The stones as they sat 100-150
years ago and the way they are set up today are bull****. There are
almost innumerable old time photos which show how they stones were
back ten. Today, the "scientists" have even filled in portions of
some of the stones with concrete and fiberglass to make them "more
regular" and "more pretty".

oly

Actually there are prehistoric sites that are much more elaborate, much
more original, and much more meaningful for history than Stonehenge in
Britain. And fortunately for the determined, they are much off the beaten
tourism path, in the farest North of Britain on some cold, barren
windswept Isles. I could give a rats snarfy underside for Stonehenge, but
that other place is what I truly want to see. Stonehenge is for tourists,
and druid wannabees, but that other place is for the hardcores.

The Standing Stones of Callanish, perhaps?

James