And the winner is…
After much deliberation, our judges have finally come to an agreement on the overall winner of our #BritainInCoins photography competition.
And the winner is…
Congratulations to Ali Rao – the winner of our £1,000 cash prize!
Ali chose the Abolition of Slavery £2 coin for his entry. The judges were impressed by both the powerful and thought-provoking subject matter and the technical proficiency of the shot.
We can’t overstate how difficult the judges found the job of picking a winner. The number of entries and the quality of photographs far exceeded our expectations, and the final choice was very close to call.
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who submitted an entry to our #BritainInCoins competition. We’ve kept them all so keep checking our Facebook page – you’ll receive an honourable mention if we use your photo in the future!
We also have 5 Royal Mint 2014 coin sets to give away to FIVE runners-up. They are, in no particular order:
Alex submitted a series of five individual photos representing the progression of technology from the iron age through the industrial revolution and into the digital age.
The competition even reached the middle East! Bethany sent us this entry with her Victoria Cross 50p pair all the way from Afghanistan.
Ian used the Forth Railway Bridge £1 coin as the inspiration for his entry. Unfortunately a familiar-looking tourist got in the shot!.
Claire used the DNA £2 as the subject of her entry, with a clever arrangement of pennies forming the double helix structure and a good use of lighting in her photograph
One of the most popular coins was the WWF 50p with all kinds of imaginative nature-themed photographs being submitted. Our judges felt this entry from Heather was the pick of the bunch.
#BritainInCoins decision day awaits…
Entries have been flooding in for our #BritainInCoins competition over the last few weeks, and with the competition now closed, our three judges are busy sifting through the piles of photographs and deliberating over the outright winner.
We have been overwhelmed with the number of entries to our #BritainInCoins competition
Appreciating a design is an important aspect of change collecting, and the idea behind #BritainInCoins was to encourage Change Checkers to look more closely at the artistry of the coins in their pocket. Many of the coins we see on a daily basis go beyond their arbitrary monetary value – they commemorate significant British anniversaries, events and people.
Since #BritainInCoins launched in June we have been treated to all kinds of imaginative photographs which have managed to bring ordinary coins to life. From a baby hedgehog to the Mary Rose ship, we’ve seen a bit of everything along the way and have received entries from all corners of the country. Some have even come from as far afield as Afghanistan!
Former Royal Mint Engraver and Britain In Coins judge Matt Bonaccorsi commented:
“I’ve been very impressed with the overall quality of the entries – it’s been a pleasure to see such imagination from amateur photographers. The ideas have been original and the quality of some of the photography has been exceptionally high. It’s going to be a tough job picking a winner!”
The stakes are high, with £1,000 cash being awarded for the best photo and a 2014 year set of coins going to five runners-up.
A big thank you to everyone who has submitted an entry – stay tuned for our next announcement…
Take a look at the #BritainInCoins entries on our Facebook page here
Designing the new £1 – my top 5…
To coincide with the introduction of a brand new style of £1 coin, the Treasury have opened a national public contest to find the very first design. So I thought I’d pick out 5 of my favourite designs which have graced the reverse of our pound coins over the last 30 years.
1) Floral Emblems
The Welsh Leek £1
In 1984 the first themed £1 coins were introduced with a series of floral emblems. I’ve singled out the Welsh Leek because it features an edge inscription written in the Welsh language – a rare break from the traditional Latin. PLEIDIOL WYF I’M GWLAD is inscribed around the edge of each coin, which translated means ‘True am I to my country”. The design was struck in two years; 1985 and 1990.
2) Heraldic Emblems
The Heraldic Emblem £1 for Northern Ireland
The heraldic emblems series followed in 1995 with some familiar national symbols. The interesting one for me is the Northern Irish design which features a Broighter Collar. The Broighter collar was discovered in 1896 amongst a hoard of gold Iron Age artefacts in Northern Ireland, and is said to be the finest example of Irish La Tène goldworking in Europe. It’s a subtle and commonly overlooked feature of this reverse design.
3) Bridges
The Millennium Bridge features on this 2007 £1 coin
A change of tack from the Royal Mint in 2004 with iconic bridges from each country being chosen as the subject matter. The bold architectural shape of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge makes for an impressive reverse design and I think it’s the pick of the bunch. Interestingly the bridge itself is the world’s first tilting bridge and won a number of awards for its design and lighting. Each of the bridge coins were only struck in one year, this one is dated 2007.
4) Capital Cities
The rarest £1 in circulation is this Edinburgh design
The four capital cities of the United Kingdom was the next theme introduced in 2010 with the Coat of Arms for Belfast, London, Cardiff and Edinburgh featuring as the principal focus of each design. The Edinburgh design is of the most interest to collectors, because it is currently the rarest £1 design in circulation. Less than 1 million were struck, and it is often the only one which eludes even the keenest of Change Checkers.
5) The Royal Arms
This crowned Royal Arms Shield was only struck in 1988
Of course, in addition to all these commemorative themes are the definitive designs which have followed the same trend since the inaugural pound coin of 1983. Each one features the Royal Arms Shield of the United Kingdom, combining all four of the constituent countries. Look out for this one on the left with the crowned shield. Unlike the others, it was only struck in one year – 1988 – so is a bit more trick to find. Chances are it will also be a bit worse for wear after 26 years in circulation!
So when the new £1 does enter circulation in 2017, what will it look like? We already know that it will look radically different from the existing coin, but will its design follow a similar trend to those of the past? The extreme change in the coin’s shape may give rise to a similarly extreme rethink in its design, but one thing is for certain – it will forever be a truly significant moment in British numismatic history.
Own the rare Edinburgh £1 coin in silver
Our friends at the Westminster Collection have a small number of the rare Edinburgh design available in silver.