Britannia coin

[PhilB]

The recent Britannia 1oz silver coin produced by the Mint has a similarity to the Memorial Plaque. Is there any connection between the two? Phil B

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Phil

The following is from this site, which coincidently includes an illustration of a Memorial Plaque:

http://www.24carat.co.uk/britanniaframe.html

Britannia & The Lion

The very latest design of Britannia is that on the 2001 gold and silver Britannias. This shows Britannia standing beside a lion, in a portrayal reminiscent of the Una & the Lion £5 gold coins of 1839. According to the Royal Mint:-

"This year's Britannia Gold and Silver Proof and Silver Bullion coins bear an exciting new reverse design, the third image of Britannia by Philip Nathan. The 2001 design combines Britannia with the British Lion and, to make Britannia even more British, depicting her dress and helmet as North European in style rather than South European. The vertical form of the figure of Britannia is matched by the lettering, giving the name Britannia, the weight of the coin and the date 2001. The design is anchored by the lion as the two figures move purposefully forward with a sense of unity and inseparability. The obverse bears the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Her Majesty the Queen with the legal tender value of each coin below the portrait."

Dave

[PhilB]

Thanks, Dave. I`ve found a picture of the coin you mention. It`s noticeable that the lion on the 1839 coin is proportional to the human whereas on the Britannia and the plaque it isn`t. I believe this was a source of some criticism of the plaque when it was introduced. This makes me wonder whether the designer of the Britannia was influenced by the plaque design and repeated the "error" of the disproportionate lion. We`d better await a ruling from RTeapots! Phil B

[Guest Pete Wood]

If you flip the plaque....

[Clive Maier]

It does look like a conscious echo of the plaque design, which was widely criticised at the time for the knee-high lion. I am just amazed that in the 21st Century we still produce designs in a style that would not be out of place in the Great Exhibition of 1851.

[PhilB]

Thanks, RT - case proved!

PS I`m very pleased with this thread, gents. It`s short, to the point, attracted intelligent comment, raised a new point and reached a satisfactory conclusion.

Thanks!! Phil B