Some of the absolute *worst* coin designs you've seen?

Further to this, not all designs on paper translate well when produced colourless and in 3D.

The current Koala comes to mind, coloured it looks fantastic, bullion coin looks a little odd.

That is not the fault of the artist.

 

Understanding how design elements translate into a physical object would be a valuable skill that is gained over time. There will be mistakes along the way. I wonder, is it possible to create prototype coins to see how the finished product will look and then tweak the design? Or is it basically a one-shot thing where the die is created and everyone hopes for the best?

Or maybe... some coins suffer from design-by-committee where the artist really can't shine? That ATO coin looks like no one had any passion about it.

 

It's pretty complex. The designer of a coin is very rarely the sculptor of it as well. Its the job of the sculpter and/or engraver to determine depth, sometimes they nail it, other times they don't. Of course this all has to be done within certain doable parameters.

Basically you get a pretty 2D piece of art
that gets approved for a blown up plaster sculpt
Then that is shrunk into the master die.

It's a very long process and rarely does the end result do the initial art justice.

 

And that's the problem
Most of the dies are laser etched in China

 

Those coins with the red beady eyes are the creepiest coins Ive ever seen.
Were they a halloween theme or something? Those things will haunt my stacking nightmares for a looong time.

 

I thought I could call the Rwandan 3D coins "Ugly"... But I just can't... they are just so cool and well executed.

 

Speaking of eyes, I really like this coin except that one of the forum members, Silver Soul, pointed out the eyes looked like eggs:



Original thread: http://forums.silverstackers.com/topic-51066-rcm-2014-snowy-owl-one-kilo-coin.html

 

I thought the Ball-Bearing Bird had never been seen and never been herd?

 

Dennis Rodman 1oz round

 

Check this out. http://taxfreegold.co.uk/2003alderneyprincewilliam.php

And only 28,000 !!!

 

Wow, and it looks like they even gave him a popped collar for extra coolness. That'd be like having a coin from the 1980's with Prince Charles wearing Hammer pants.

 

I read an article a couple of years ago on how the Perth Mint were getting in some new software to help design the coins. Instead of having an artist who has spent years in the business, plenty of experience with an eye for what works, you end up with a computer designer fresh out of their computer design Uni course who knows how to use Photoshop but not necessarily much about the coin industry, history, numismatics or how the design will translate into a 3D sculpture.

It does make the process faster so I guess if you wanted more coins more frequently then you are laughing, but if you wanted better coins then you might not be so happy.

The quality of the coins seems to be fine, they are all round and shiny with easy to see details but the designs are not awe inspiring, but I guess if you tell someone they have to make some coins to mark the 17th Anniversary of "The Wiggles" or "150 Years of the ATO" then you aren't really giving them much to go on or much reason to keep living.

Plus if you constantly tell them they have to come up with innovative ideas they are going to spend more time worrying about what shape the coin is rather than what image is going to be put on it.

As coin collectors we get offered curved coins, triangle shapped coins, coloured, gilded, enamelled, pop-up, rotating centred, guitar shaped things but the idea of actually offering us coin shaped things seems to be a bit old fashioned.

Something that has remained roughly the same since the ancient Greeks, and been collected for about as long probably doesn't need the marketing departments of the world's mints to come up with a way to make them innovative. Coin collectors like coins.

 

this is one ugly coin

 

I do like its EXTREMELY high relief though...

 

Next up in Perth Mint's young collector series is Invisibility Girl who probably should have been called Silicon Girl.

 

I'd buy that one if it was real. I don't think a real one would look as good as the pic though.

 

I thought zombified monkey was the worst amongst these classics, but when I saw what they had to work with, not so bad.

 

WTF?! That's so bad!!
And Gainsville coins with the stupid watermark. Like anyone would want to steal that photo. hahaha

 

This is among the top 5 ugliest coins to ever appear on the market...who would waste their money on such garbage is beyond me? Looks like a 1st graded rendered that fugly design.

 

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