What is the worst coin design ?

 Hello ,

 I have seen many debates about  which coin design is the best , the most intricate , inspired , etc .

But I have not seen anyone really  talk about the opposite - which coin has the worst design ? 

Worst can be many things - ugliest ,plainest ( or most cluttered ) ,  most uninspired , etc . 

So , please , go ahead and give me the best of the worst .

Imo it is our Dutch ‘last guilder’  N#1284 

The idea to let a schoolchild design it was nice, but what a horrible result….

If we are speaking in terms of practicality, there was such an immediate outcry about N#131048 this Philippine P5 and its confusion with other denominations of the new series it was quickly replaced N#187351 (first minted in 2017 but they didn't achieve wide circulation until 2018). However, they kept producing the old circular coins alongside the new ones for a couple of years for some reason.

The 1986 10 Franc coin has a similar story. N#297

CatbedCoins

The 1986 10 Franc coin has a similar story. N#297

and the less welknown Robert Shumann design

N#1195

Like the 10 Franc Jimenez which had the same diameter and weight characteristics, this coin was quickly withdrawn from circulation because of its possible confusion with the half franc coins by the visually impaired.

Then new error from La Monnaie de Paris on 2024

27 millions of cents have been produced but not launched on circulation due to the European Commission's refusal. Loss of more than 1 million euros.

Stars weren't suffisantly visibles :)

First version on left, final version on right

Other way around surely? The ones on the right look like a return of the cowboy days of 1999-2010 when there was no enforcement of the EU coin laws.

You're right.

in defense of La Monnaie de Paris, the design of the new coins was not so different from the currencies currently in service.

The cowboy days of 1999-2024 😀

These are one of those threads that quickly devolve into a wasteful flame war eventually getting locked. This is not the first thread to ask about ugly/horrible/worst designs as many long time members will attest.

What’s ugly to someone is beautiful to another. Insulting a coin design can by extension be insulting  someones tastes and preferences which no one likes to be on the receiving end of.

Whats to gain by spot lighting the “worst” designs out there? You wouldn’t collect it anyways and your opinions are unlikely to sway others either.  So why unwittingly be perceived as sh*tting on someone else’s choices and come off as “that” sort of person. 
 

I do have opinions as well of what I perceive as beautiful/ugly coinage, but I just wouldn’t say it on a public forum like this because I respect everyone’s choices. 

if you choose to post in here, of course you are free to do so. My point above is to just bare this in mind when you do 

I was kinda thinking the same…

For some previous such threads, follow this Google link. One of the William & Kate portraits I cannot unsee, unfortunately.

For my part, the most constructive way of doing this would be:

What in your opinion is the ugliest coin from your country? And why?

In Canada, limiting myself to circulating issues, I would say the Newfoundland Edward VII–George V silver are all pretty lame, but that was usual for colonial issues. I'll add the Victorian $2 gold, though it has the distinction of being the only British colonial gold coin meant for local circulation (unlike the sovereigns and half-sovereigns). A gold coin that doesn't even have a reverse design. They added "TWO HUNDRED CENTS" and “ONE HUNDRED PENCE” probably because they had too much space to fill. Rather sad…

And I write this as a fierce critic of the RCM and its unending tsunami of medal-coins.

ashlobo

These are one of those threads that quickly devolve into a wasteful flame war eventually getting locked. This is not the first thread to ask about ugly/horrible/worst designs as many long time members will attest.

 

What’s ugly to someone is beautiful to another. Insulting a coin design can by extension be insulting  someones tastes and preferences which no one likes to be on the receiving end of.

 

Whats to gain by spot lighting the “worst” designs out there? You wouldn’t collect it anyways and your opinions are unlikely to sway others either.  So why unwittingly be perceived as sh*tting on someone else’s choices and come off as “that” sort of person. 
 

I do have opinions as well of what I perceive as beautiful/ugly coinage, but I just wouldn’t say it on a public forum like this because I respect everyone’s choices. 

 

if you choose to post in here, of course you are free to do so. My point above is to just bare this in mind when you do 

 

I think that's why the thread shifted to "the most error design". 

Indeed what would be a worst design taking into account the political, economic and social context, etc… ?

It's a daunting task! 

But it is true that certain coins have led to significant costs of withdrawal from circulation, and according to examples given so far, particularly in France. 

Note that not all design errors necessarily resulted in a withdrawal. The 1000 lire wrong map of Germany  continued to circulate at the same time as the corrected map. 

This is why this thread "The worst coin design' understood as "The most wrong design" has its reason to exist :)

it would help if the title of the thread reflected what you are saying. Eitherways I won’t comment any further in this thread. I think you and others understood my point, so I’ll leave it at that :)

I apologize if I offend anyone, but the small denominations of Romania's fourth leu are just blah to me. Looks like play money, not official government issued currency.

N#19266  

Kurt53

N#19266  

 

I don’t even collect coins, but god is that horrendous.

winner from the last time this thread ran

those British teeth! 😏

Mr. Midnight

winner from the last time this thread ran

those British teeth! 😏

Thanks mate, I didn't see that.  A beautiful custom from the Middle Ages is really missing here.  That a monarch, or a prince, could have a master medalist executed by hanging - when he created such an effigy of a princess.

I hope I'm not mistaken that the portrait should be Catherine, Princess of Wales (Catherine Elizabeth Middleton)?

For such a portrayal of a beautiful woman - a princess - the medalist in question should be beheaded - by a master executioner - in the square so that this horror never happens again.

Truly a winner!!!

Ivan

This is the coin I meant when I said above 👆 that I cannot unsee it. At first I assumed it was a token, which is a medium where failed medalists find their place, for example here and here. 

At least William is given his full head of hair back !!

This is a nice contender for the ugliest coin, what i always think seeing at it is: WHY?

N#13006

cobrapel

This is a nice contender for the ugliest coin, what i always think seeing at it is: WHY?

 

N#13006

 

This is the winner sofar….

cobrapel

This is a nice contender for the ugliest coin, what i always think seeing at it is: WHY?

 

N#13006

 

Why is she head-butting Jesus?

JRo69

cobrapel

This is a nice contender for the ugliest coin, what i always think seeing at it is: WHY?

 

N#13006

 

Why is she head-butting Jesus?

I thought that was Jesus head butting his Father…😕

I think Australia by a long shot - they just issue coins like Stamperija issues stamps (Dodgy company that produces wallpaper for 3rd world nations on topics that have no relevance to them, this Lithuanian company has so little ethics they issue stamps with porno stars on them, others celebrating “how good” Covid was, and a Zika sheet showing a grinning baby with a tiny head! And these stamps will be for bone poor African basketcases with no functioning post office like Sarah Leone and Guinea Bissau)

Look at these alphabet dollar sets (Yes I realise Brismike will lynch me for expressing an opinion and probably attack NZ for its lack of coin issues - but who cares).

One of these came out every year and ebay was selling them at mark up straight away. Now we have sets of 20 “Footy” dollars with shields on them and the Aussies gimmick it up, by selling the sets in tubes at mark up prices and offering one “Coloured” coin in 1 in 20 tubes. Its Lotto for coins. Some of the dollars celebrated meat pies and bubblegum (Hence why I call these bubblegum coins, like the Wallpaper stamps of Stamperija and IGPC, who do all that Marilyn and Elvis crap for Tuvalu and Guyana).

The $2 colour coins started off nice, but we now get this rubbish, this soccer set may be the most basic and stupidest design ever.

The venom is not aimed at the $1 which are okay, if somewhat woke and excessive issuing (The mens soccer team did not get as much brouhaha). Its the $2 coins which are a series of concentric lines like neolithic pottery which are awful.

Big things, a series of 10 x $1 coins that celebrated paper mache sheep and large plastic bananas. I mean when you think a country has hit rock bottom, Australia gets thrown a shovel and told to dig deeper. The fact cash is going out of fashion and spivs take these coins and sell them on ebay at mark up prices before official release day says more.

Even worse is some of these coins are released through a supermarket chain - Woolworths and handed out in change, needless to say it increases business for Woolworths (They just opened up here taking over a local suprmarket chain and have been known so far for dodgy reward card schemes, people stealing food and stabbing each other and rats in their supermarkets, lets say Woolworths is the more ghetto of the two chains we have here, the locally owned supermarkets don't have these problems).

So we get 5 to 8 coin extravaganzas celebrating childrens tv (Mr Squiggle, Wiggles, Possum majic) and sporting events like 5 $2 coins and 4 x $1 coins for the Olympix and Commonwealth games (Both events in which Australia dominates - the latter even more as there is no China or USA to compete with - their hardest competition is Canada and the UK divided up into 4 teams andof course old foe NZ).

After that still for a collector with money, hundreds and I mean hundreds of coins are issued in gold, silver and platinum each year at grossly marked up prices and Australia is the commercial whore of coin issuing (Their stamp department is barmy too).

Would be very happy to take those bubblegum coins off you if you want 😁

MIMAEL

Mr. Midnight

winner from the last time this thread ran

those British teeth! 😏

Thanks mate, I didn't see that.  A beautiful custom from the Middle Ages is really missing here.  That a monarch, or a prince, could have a master medalist executed by hanging - when he created such an effigy of a princess.

I hope I'm not mistaken that the portrait should be Catherine, Princess of Wales (Catherine Elizabeth Middleton)?

For such a portrayal of a beautiful woman - a princess - the medalist in question should be beheaded - by a master executioner - in the square so that this horror never happens again.

Truly a winner!!!

Ivan

I agree, its just awful. But also its the medium, cupro nickel is not designed for works of art. 

Bear in mind too, that the Royals are increasingly unpopular in Australia and New Zealand, with 40 - 50% of us wanting a republic.