BRITISH COINAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 104, 4 May 1937, Page 13

BRITISH COINAGE

NOVELTIES IN DESIGN

TWO TYPES OF SHILLING

The series of new coins issued by the Mint contains some interesting novelties and some designs which recall those on coins of long ago, said "The Times" on April 14. Mr. George' Kruger Grey, who designed the reverses for the second issue of King George V's coins which appeared in 1927, is responsible for all the silver in the new series, the obverses in which all bear the King's effigy, designed by Mr. T. H. Paget. Miss Kitchener is the designer of the reverse of the new twelve-sided threepenny bit, which has been struck in an alloy of nickel not hitherto used for currency in this country. The reverse of the crown piece shows the King's crowned shield with supporters standing on a mount which is partly masked by the scroll bearing the motto Dieu et mon Droit. The full shield used to appear on crown pieces from the time of King Edward VI until the hammer-money of King Charles 11, and reappeared on those of Queen Victoria from 1844 to 1847, but supporters were never shown, although on the gold Spur Ebyal of King James I a single supporter, a lion, appeared behind the shield. The inscription on the obverse of all the new pieces is "Georgivs VI D: G: Br: Omn: Rex" instead of "Georgivs V Dei Gra: Britt: Omn: Rex," and the lettering is, accordingly, slightly larger and more widely spaced. HALF-CROWN AND FLORIN. The half-crown shows a design on its reverse which is slightly modified from that on the 1927 issue. There is no longer a notch in the shield, which now hangs by a strap from an ornamental ring in place of the Rose which used to appear above the shield in such a way as to break the inscription between "Fid. Def." and "Ind. Imp." The Thistle and the Shamrock, which filled the gaps at either, end of the legend giving the value and the date have disappeared, but the crowned interlaced "Gs," which recall the interlaced "Cs" and "W" and "M" of some of the larger coins of King Charles II and King William and Queen Mary, have been retained. The reverse of the florin shows a happy departure from the Victorian and neo-Georgian tradition, which had borrowed from the Caroline and eighteenth century crowns the arrangement of four shields in the form of a cross. The vigorous new design is unlike anything which has hitherto appeared on a coin in this country, and is only faintly reminiscent of the Thistle Crown of King James. I, last struck in 1619. It shows a Crowned Rose flanked by a Thistle and a Shamrock above a divided G. R., and the name "Florin" is dropped in favour of the value "Two Shillings." NEW DEPARTURES. In the case of the shilling there is a welcome new departure, as there are two of them. One shows the familiar reverse of the issue of 1927—the King's Crest for England—but the new design has the date divided in the field instead of forming part of the inscription, and two roses are used, as well as dots, to separate the Latin from the English in the inscription. The other shilling, the introduction of which may be intended as a graceful compliment to our Scottish Queen, shows the King's Crest for Scotland with its sejant Lion crowned and holding sword and sceptre between a divided date and flanked by a shield changed with St. Andrew's saltire and a thistle which is cunningly designed so that its leaves exactly balance the shield.. This is a particularly interesting addition to the British currency, as since 1709, when Queen Anne struck her last coins in Edinburgh bearing the mint : mark E, there has been no reference to the fact that'our Sovereigns used to issue a separate currency for Scotland. The sixpence is also a new departure, as it shows the crowned Imperial monogram G.R.I, of a design different from that adopted for official display • elsewhere. A monogram has never yet formed the main design on a British coin, although proofs, by Droz, were prepared for a monogram shilling for I King George 111 in 1787. I THREEPENNY PIECES. There are two new threepenny pieces in addition to ""the Maundy threepenny which has already been issued with the familiar, crowned 3 within a wreath; thus the King is striking three separate pieces of the same value in the first year of his reign. The silver piece shows a reverse of an incuse shield of St. George in honour of the King's name-Saint on a rose, a variant of -the design first used for the sovereign of King Henry VII in 1489, which last appeared on the Rose Ryal of King James in 1625. . The other new threepenny piece shows a bunch of thrift on the reverse with the value and the date, and has twelve straight sides. In this it differs from the one anna piece issued in India by the King's father, which had twelve slightly-curved sides. The penny shows the familiar figure of Britannia seated, holding her Union shield and her trident, and once again accompanied by the Lighthouse, which appeared on Queen Victoria's pennies from 1860 to 1892. For the halfpenny Mr. Paget has dropped Britannia but has revived the Victorian ship, which now forms the sole design on the reverse in the form of a late fifteenth century galleon. King Edward 111 had a ship, of an older type, on his nobles, and it last appeared on the angels of King James I in 1625. On the farthing there is another and entirely new device so far as the currency of this island is concerned, for. the Royal Wren appears, that mystic boy revered since pagan .times, considered to be the King of Birds and provided with a great wealth of folklore of its own. He appears in natural form and has not been hcraldically stylised in any way—a beautiful design by Mr. H. Wilson Parker.