Percy Metcalfe, Coin Designer

[<k>]

Percy Metcalfe was born in Wakefield, England, in 1895. He studied art in Leeds and attended the Royal College of Art, London, in 1914. During his career he produced various coins, medals, statues, memorials, stamp and pottery designs.

[<k>]

Metcalfe is probably most famous for creating the obverse and reverse designs of the first coins of the Irish Free State, issued in 1928. This circulation set portrayed various Irish barnyard animals and has become known as the Barnyard Set. Royal Mint engraver George Kruger-Gray had produced an innovative set of coin designs for South Africa in 1923, some of which carried thematic designs, for instance sparrows and a sailing ship, but most of them were still rather traditional in style. Metcalfe's Irish set, by contrast, with its unity of theme, completely broke the mould. It must have looked thoroughly modern and ahead of its time in 1928. I cannot imagine it appearing or being accepted even ten years earlier, but society had changed rapidly after the horrors of the Great War, which smashed four empires.

Ireland itself was still a rather narrow-minded and inward-looking country in the 1920s. It had been oppressed first by the British and then by its own priests, who wielded great influence in the land. It is to the credit of the committee, headed by poet W B Yeats, that they had the courage to choose such radically novel designs, which were predictably criticised as "pagan" by the Irish Catholic Church, who would have preferred religious subjects to be depicted.



¼d.  Woodcock.
½d.  Pig and piglets.
1d.   Hen and chicks.
3d.   Hare.
6d.   Irish wolfhound.
1s.   Bull.
2s.   Salmon.
2/6.  Irish hunter (horse).

Designer: Percy Metcalfe.

[<k>]

Metcalfe produced various other commissions for the Royal Mint, including a new coin effigy for King Fuad of Egypt, issued in 1929.

Metcalfe's trademark initials, PM, can be seen here at the bottom of the design.

[<k>]

Metcalfe also produced effigy of his successor, King Farouk, which first saw the light of day in 1937.

[<k>]

Metcalfe's portrait of King Faisal I first appeared on the coins of Iraq in 1931.

[<k>]

Metcalfe's portrait of King Ghazi of Iraq was first seen on Iraqi coins in 1936.

See also: Iraq: Three Kings on Coins.

[<k>]

Again for the Royal Mint, Metcalfe produced a new crowned effigy of King George V.

The portrait appeared on various overseas coins of the British Empire from 1934 onwards.

[<k>]

In 1935 the Royal Mint issued a crown to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V.

Its reverse, depicting St George and the Dragon, was the work of Metcalfe.

Its striking art deco style earned it the name of "The Rocking-Horse Crown".

[<k>]

Fiji's first coinage appeared in 1934. This was also designed by Metcalfe.

Shown here are the turtle on the sixpence and the outrigger on the shilling.

The threepence was not released until 1947; it portrayed a native hut design by New Zealander James Berry.

[<k>]

George V died in January 1936. The new king, Edward  VIII, abdicated after only eleven months.

The next king, George VI, was depicted uncrowned on his coins by Humphrey Paget.

However, Metcalfe the crowned effigy that was used by Britain's colonies.

[<k>]

Here is another coin designed by Mr Metcalfe. You can see his initials on both sides.

It is a fine portrait of Boris III of Bulgaria in conventional style.

However, the vegetation on the reverse is heavily stylised - even the "9" in 1934 is very angular.

[<k>]

As an employee of the Royal Mint, Percy Metcalfe created the portrait of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia that appears on the 10 and 20 dinar coins of 1931 and on the 50 dinar coin of 1932. He was also responsible for the design of the crowned double eagle that appears on the reverse of the coins.

[<k>]

Greece, 20 drachmai, 1930.  The Neptune/Poseidon obverse design is by Percy Metcalfe. 

(Michael Axelos designed the reverse, featuring an ancient galley).

[<k>]

Greece, 10 drachmai, 1930.  Demeter, goddess of the harvest, by Percy Metcalfe. (Michael Axelos designed the reverse).

See the Bank of Greece web site post:

10-drachma coin, 1930. First Republic (1924-1935)

The images on the obverse and the reverse are inspired by ancient Greek coins. The head of Demeter on the obverse, designed by Percy Metcalf, is modelled after the rare stater of the Delphic Amphictyony (336-334 B.C.). On the reverse, designed by Michael Axelos, the ear of grain is an exact reproduction of the same symbol used on the coins of Metapontum, a Greek colony in Lucania, Southern Italy.

[<k>]

Romania 5 lei and 20 lei 1930.

Percy Metcalfe also modelled the portrait of King Michael of Romania on the coins shown above.