ikaros

Wish I could find things like that lying about in jars! Excellent find!

Likewise -- went hunting on eBay, looks like a picture of one is all I'll ever see.

Another 2013P Perry Monument AtB quarter from Lucky Pierre, alongside two bicentennial quarters.

I'll throw in here, one from my birth year collection:

Yes indeed, the people have spoken, and they have said, "...meh." Thanks to all for your participation and support; I've had fun running it!

Well, it's ended in a tie, and 2014 is represented by both exposure to the elements and a failure of design! The joint winners are: Art's 2005 Luxembourg 2 Euro Commemorative and ikaros' 1986 US Cent ...which seems an ultimately equitable result; it is hard to compare an artistic failure of design with an innocent victim of living on the streets. And with this, we draw the 2014 Ugly Coin Competition to an end! My thanks to all who participated!

The Ugliest Coins of 2014 are, by decision of the denizens of Coinpeople: Ugly By Nature Winner ikaros' 1986 US Cent Even Coinstar wouldn't take this one. It was found in the reject tray. Looks like even a little bite was taken out of it! and Ugly By Design Winner Art's 2005 Luxembourg 2 Euro Commemorative Placing two portraits on the surface of a coin is at best difficult. To make the two portraits reside in the same small space and present them attractively is almost impossible. In this case the portrait of Adolphe has a strange appearance. The nose is sharply pointed and the large blob directly below it - his mustache in reality, is really unattractive. They could have done better. And may I be the first to offer my sympathies... er, condolences... er, commisserations... er, congratulations to Art.

Ooo, I've never seen that one before either! I'm a big fan of pre-decimal issues myself, both British and colonial/commonwealth. The final portrait of Victoria is probably my favorite of them all -- as I have often said, that is the coin of an empire.

Where are our other three usual votes? There were seven votes in almost all the other matchups... okay, I'm going to follow thedeadpoint's advice and shut it down Monday, thereby extending it a week, and hope they turn up. Now watch, we'll turn up another vote and end up with eight... and tied.

I agree there would have been a war, but I don't think there would have been the continent-wide conflict. I think there would have been a series of incidents, probably not for a few years after 1914, none of which would have had the same effect that the assassination did -- conflicts more easily managed and limited.

I didn't even remember until today that I hadn't closed it out yet! Three votes is a lot less than we've been getting, where is everyone?

Voting closes tonight! Get your hand in the ballot box before it's too late!

That's right, today's the centenary -- this is a remarkable piece of work, artistically and as propaganda. I have long been of the opinion that the most pivotal person of the 20th century was Gavrilo Princip. It's questionable whether the European tensions of the time would have erupted into full-scale continental war without the assassination of the Archduke. Probably there would have been innumerable skirmishes and proxy wars, but I strongly doubt if there would have been total war. And without the First World War, almost everything that follows becomes questionable: the Russian revolution, the Great Depression, the rise of the Third Reich, the Second World War, the partitioning of Europe and the Cold War, the Space Race... pretty much everything. It's a lovely thought experiment.

I'll grant you that, but that's one stupid thief.

I just cannot fathom someone over the age of eight who could look at a proof set and say "Hey, great, loose change!" The simple fact that coins aren't normally sealed in plasic cases oughta be enough to say there's something else going on there beyond being a simple coin holder, never mind that circulation coins simply are never that pristine with genuine mirror surfaces! I mean, how bad did they really need that Big Gulp?

Dream, are you using some kind of mind control powers on local collectors to break into their sets and spend them so you can find them? You find the wildest things...

Offering is not right, but accepting is okay? No problem, I was just offering to accept one.

Cent! Cent! Cent!

Why, what were you going to offer me?

It all comes down to this: the coin judged Ugliest By Nature taking on the coin judged Ugliest By Design. And a day late because I was such a vegetable when I got home from work last night, I completely forgot to close out the votes. Let the voting begin!

This is it! It all comes down to this... the final meeting between Ugly By Nature and Ugly By Design. Ugly Coin Competition 2014 Ugly By Nature Winner ikaros' 1986 US Cent Even Coinstar wouldn't take this one. It was found in the reject tray. Looks like even a little bite was taken out of it! vs Ugly By Design Winner Art's 2005 Luxembourg 2 Euro Commemorative Placing two portraits on the surface of a coin is at best difficult. To make the two portraits reside in the same small space and present them attractively is almost impossible. In this case the portrait of Adolphe has a strange appearance. The nose is sharply pointed and the large blob directly below it - his mustache in reality, is really unattractive. They could have done better.

The "winner: is: I'm Not Bad, I'm Just Engraved That Way Winner Art's 2005 Luxembourg 2 Euro Commemorative Placing two portraits on the surface of a coin is at best difficult. To make the two portraits reside in the same small space and present them attractively is almost impossible. In this case the portrait of Adolphe has a strange appearance. The nose is sharply pointed and the large blob directly below it - his mustache in reality, is really unattractive. They could have done better.

The "winner" is: Victim of Circumstance Winner ikaros' 1986 US Cent Even Coinstar wouldn't take this one. It was found in the reject tray. Looks like even a little bite was taken out of it!

Let's get those last votes in -- voting closes when I get home from work tomorrow night, at which point the final round will go up!

That question is going to bother me until someone comes up with an answer. The most I can come up with off the top of my head is five on a technicality -- the Swiss franc is in Latin, and the 'Fr' abbreviation is correct in all four official languages. I suppose it's two languages, but one of them could be any of four. The most I can think of off the top of my head is the British empire/commonwealth era Hong Kong dollar, with the obverse inscription in Latin, and the reverse in English and Chinese, but I have no expectation of that standing up. The Alabama SHQ also has three languages: English, Latin and Braille. Meanwhile, these Straits coins just get better and better. I definitely want a Straits dollar in my collection now.