I got mine today and was pleased to see that they've also changed the obverses so that they're also sans beading. Makes them look more like most of the Commonwealth issues and allows the legend to appear nearer the edge and presumably the queen's head to be a bit bigger....

never noticed that! Well spotted.

The 2008 set has also made it to the Rhine valley. Well, most of what I could comment has already been written here. What I find interesting is the "design progress" shown in the folder. As you know, the actual coins have the value in words only, and also the font size is pretty small (compared to both the previous series and the Queen's name and title on the other sides). But it seems that at some stage Matthew Dent made a more easily legible version, with figures and bigger characters.

Not only that, the "lion's butt" coin of that version was the 1p piece. The 20p design had the upper left part of the Irish harp instead ... in a female figure version with what Americans might call wardrobe malfunction.



Christian

Wait. are these NCLT?

Nope these are the new UK coins, as will be minted and circulated from now on.

Had to laugh, by the way, when I saw the two slightly different versions of Der Spiegel's article about the new coins.

The English text:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe...,548764,00.html
Headline: Britain Unveils Eccentric New Coinage
That "eccentric" refers to Virginia Ironside's comment from a couple of days ago.

But then, the original (German) version:
http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,548034,00.html
Headline: Der Anti-Euro von der Insel = "The anti-euro from the island"

As explained further in the text, that primarily refers to the "tiny font size and no figures" which is indeed quite different from the big numbers on euro and cent coins. But of course the headline can (and maybe should) also be understood differently, hehe.

Christian

Do they really find it surprising that the funny people from "the Island" are not yet using the Euros???
Germans are strange.. It ain't gonna happen!

Generalizations are strange. Actually, in a German forum I wrote yesterday that I find it silly to talk or write about the euro in this context. Problem is, when I write that I am glad about a by and large anti-EU-ropean country like the UK not being part of the euro area (in my opinion a membership would have even more damaging potential than the economic problems in some Mediterranean countries), I get accused of being anti-British here. Phh, BS. I even support the Royal Mint by regularly purchasing sets and commems from them ...

Christian

Why wouldn't that be an anti-British thing to say?

Also, I think you owe us a few billion that we're never going to get back!

In my opinion the currency union works OK these days but is not a terribly stable construction. You cannot really have one common currency while at the same time following a dozen or so different economic policies. Guess it will be difficult enough for the current euro area members to act accordingly - but a country such as the UK would push that to an extreme. So what would be "anti-British" about saying that the euro is fine for Europe while the pound is fine for Britain?


Huh?

Christian

What rubbish! Germany are a great to deal with! Why I remember a while back they where paying us well over the odds for scrap metal, and then after a few months they gave us it all back for nothing! You cant say fairer than that!

I think that Matt is implying something that has no relevance to this and is only dwelling on Germany's turbulent past, which I find is disgraceful to be mentioned on this forum, especially in such circumstances...

If he is not implying what I think he is, then I'm sorry and do not wish to make a scene.

Clive.

It's disgraceful that you should take me way out of context by assuming I am old enough to remember world war 2 - I was referring to the EU's financial debt in terms of their input to the EU in recent times

I never actually mentioned WW2 and that was not what I was implying...

Well anyway... Back to the topic.

Why does John "Basil" Cleese suddenly come to my mind? But as you said, back to Matthew Dent's designs: The pictures in the BU folder also show some designs with numbers, ie. "10 PENCE" instead of "TEN PENCE" (see the image in one of my previous posts). Does anybody know - maybe from a press article - when or why that was dropped?

Christian

No I don't, but it does seem a bit stupid, so now tourists will have to struggle to count out their currency!

What?

So you guys are seeing a lot of the new designs in change or only once out of every few dozen coins? I'll have to have my mom on the lookout for them when she goes through Heathrow in a few weeks.

Not yet, I expect it will be a good few months before they start to appear at any kind of regular rate. Though I get a 2007 coin almost every time I shop as of recent, so hopefully when they do appear they'll be in large quantities. I already have full sets promised to a few people

Ah, but the mint also issued "old type" coins dated 2008. Now I don't know whether those were for sets only, or whether the "new type" 2008 coins are for sets only, or whether both will also be made for circulation this year. What do I know anyway ... I'll just wait and see.

Christian

Hi, I lived for almost a year in the Uk and I started to colected British coins there, I liked the last series just like it was.
Could any one tell me how it looks the front of the new coins? (the queen)
Regards

From what I understand the 2008 "emblems" where supposed to be limited issue only, then I re-read the Royal Mint blurb and it didn't outright say that 2008 emblems where not being circulated. I think now though as far as I can work out the 2008 "emblems" are limited issues only.

I kept a big pile of near-mint 2007 coins in the hope I could sell them to some idiots so I hope that they where the last of them!!

The Royal Arms are most defiantly issued for circulation in 2008.

The portrait is the same as before. What is a little different on that side is that now the small denominations (1p-10p) do not have the line of beads along the rim any more, and that also influences the appearance of the obverse a little. The 20p keeps its "band" (where the text goes) but now - like the other pieces - has the year on the obverse.

Christian

Christian, thanks a lot for your explanation.
Any pics of the obverse.
Regards

Acutally I've had a couple 2008 old style pennies but from what I understand they weren't supposed to be released. I presume there is a penny shortage & these are emergencey stock, I wonder if they'll becoem rare in future, I've only seen 3, all of which my Dad has got in change so I assume these "escaped" the mint?

When I saw a 2008 penny (heads side only) I got a tiny bit excited in seeing the new design, when I saw the old design on the other side I was dissapointed but remebered that they weren't supposed to be ciruclated so I have kept hold of all of these.

BTW I haven't got my double pack yet so could someone post a picture of the upside down Queen please from the 50p

Thanks for clearing that up

New 20p reverse

Oh and you may want to check those pennies for which reverse they have, incase there was ever a mixup...

New 2p sans beading

always liked the 20p style..cant wait to see the new ones in hand.

Delta many thanks for the pics!
Regards

I added them all to my Omnicoin also (along with some of my other recent stuff)

Thanks Delta, interesting with the 50p, I wonder if dim shop keepers will accuse people of faking them because the Queen's head is the reverse way round

They've also handled that 20p well as well, the writing is still clear even with the extra info.

Also regarding the 1,2,5,10p obvereses, now you mention that I'll be keeping an eye out all the time now

I'm still waiting my double set, had a letter from the Royal Mint stating that the overwhealming demand means there's a delay

I wonder if they will kill off the beading on the two pound coin now, since it NEVER minted right anyway!

I could see them redesigning that one soon anyway, don't ask me why I just have a feeling that's all, possibly Britannia as I imagine Daily Heil readers are lobbying the Royal Mint to bring it back even now

A Britannia one has been confirmed as a special issue within the next few years.

Je les trouve aussi belles que nos euros ,sinon plus
Gerard

Je consens, certaines des conceptions d'Euro sont curieux mais, a mon avis, d'autre part il y a autant de variation!

Ces pièces anglaises resteront le même pour beaucoup d'ans, lequel n'est pas bon!

Clive.

Finally got my set on Thursday (hurrah!) and very nice the new coins look too. Still a bit odd to see Elizabeth "upside down" on the 50p coin

I'll wait until I have the pieces in hand to decide whether or not I like them. And I have a feeling that that'd probably be several years down the road...

Just got a 2008 1p in change today but it's one of the old designs :-(

Now I wonder whether anyone will find a mule with one of the old reverses but a new obverse design (i.e. without the beading). Now THAT would be an interesting find! :-))

Hertfordian

I've had well over a dozen new design pennies in change, all from the same guy though! He opened a bag especially for me!

Same just happened to me

Are these coin with new design already in circulation?

Yes, though it'll take a while before most people ever see one.

I've received 13 new pennies in change, all from the same shopkeeper though...

I've had a two 1p's & one 2p of the new designs, I'll scan them sometime over the weekend.

Have had plenty of the old style 1p coins with 2008 on them, also have had a 5p as well. I thought they weren't originally supposed to be released, oh well

After nearly two months I'm still waiting for the sets I ordered!!

Interesting, they should have got to you by now May be best you chase up Royal Mail, it could be a computer error