Trinidad FAO-themed $1 of 1969: alternative design sketches

[<k>]

From the Royal Mint (UK) Annual Report for 1969.

The president of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee was Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Item 4  Dollar piece for Trinidad and Tobago

The Committee considered four alternative designs by Mr. Geoffrey Colley for a coin to be issued in connection with the fund raising scheme of the Food and agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. Trinidad had asked that the theme of the design should be food, agriculture or fisheries and that the inscription should be "Food for All" with the value prominently displayed. Mr. Gol1ey's four designs featured respectively sugar cane; bananas, sugar cane and cocoa beans in combination; cocoa beans; and a cocoa tree.

Members thought the designs were on the whole well executed but they felt that Mr. Colley had failed to find really satisfactory subject matter.

The Committee agreed that Mr. Colley should be asked to prepare some further sketches on subjects more distinctively associated with Trinidad or the F.A.0's aims. It was suggested that Ackee or a Breadfruit tree might be suitable, or perhaps fishing if there were some distinctive local technique. The President said that a tractor, which was a universally recognised symbol of agriculture, might also be considered: he also suggested that the incorporation of the letters F.A.O. should be considered.

[<k>]

Trinidad and Tobago.  Sketch 1.

Image © Royal Mint Museum (UK).

Bananas, sugar cane and cocoa beans in combination.

[<k>]

Trinidad and Tobago.  Sketch 2.

Image © Royal Mint Museum (UK).

Cocoa beans.

[<k>]

Trinidad and Tobago.  Sketch 3.

Image © Royal Mint Museum (UK).

A cocoa tree.

[<k>]

Trinidad and Tobago.  Sketch 1.

Image © Royal Mint Museum (UK).

Sugar cane.

[<k>]

Trinidad, $1, 1969.

The issued design.

[<k>]

Presumably the authorities of Trinidad and Tobago chose the final design.

Personally, I would have preferred the design of the cocoa tree.

The coin was 32 mm in diameter.

The cocoa tree design would have fitted well onto this large coin.


The design featuring bananas, sugar cane and cocoa beans together was too cluttered.

The cocoa beans design would also have been good, but without the zig-zags.