Malta: decimal variations

[<k>]

Around ten years ago I contacted the Maltese authorities via their website, in order to ask them who had designed their coins of 1972. The answer they gave me was Emvin Cremona. Looking at the Royal Mint documents, it is clear to me that the eventual designs were by Christopher Ironside, though it is equally clear that Mr Cremona suggested some designs and the approach to be taken to Mr Ironside. This shows that the attribution of designs is not always a straightforward business. Mr Cremona's designs are both attractive and highly accomplished, but is it clear that some of them contained too much detail to work as coins. Mr Cremona was not a sculptor, unlike Mr Ironside, who also possessed the experience to know what was likely to work as a coin design.

[<k>]

RELATED TOPICS

Malta's pre-euro coinage, 1972-2007

Ironside produced TWO sets of designs for the UK's decimals

Christopher Ironside designed coins for many countries

Medals by Christopher Ironside

Wikipedia webpage on Mr Ironside: Christopher Ironside

[Spyke63]

To clarify:

'Shortly after attaining independence on 21 September 1964, Malta considered minting a set of local coins based on the British coinage, which was then in circulation on the island. However, the Bank of England advised the Maltese Government that this idea should be shelved until a central bank was set up. The Central Bank of Malta was formed in 1968. At the time it was hoped that Malta would change to a decimal currency at the same time as Britain.

The Bank discussed the matter with the Royal Mint, which suggested that the Maltese coins be of the same size and metallic content as their UK value equivalent. To save time and costs on the preparation of master tools it was proposed that the Maltese coins' obverse should bear the same effigy of Queen Elizabeth II as for British coins. The Royal Mint also offered to prepare a set of designs for submission to the Maltese Government. This offer was apparently declined as in November 1968 the Central Bank of Malta commissioned the Maltese artist Emvin Cremona to prepare designs for the new coins.

The Royal Mint expressed concerns that the designs prepared by Cremona did not lend themselves to making good coins. In December 1969 Emvin Cremona visited the Royal Mint where he discussed the coin designs with Christopher Ironside. Cremona revised his designs at least twice before the Mint felt confident that they could be successfully converted into coins.

On 27 August 1971, F. Cornell from the Royal Mint visited Malta for talks with the Governor of the Central Bank of Malta. At this point the designs prepared by Cremona were discarded, and the Royal Mint was commissioned to provide sketches for eight coin denominations. The designs were to be based based on visual material provided by the Maltese Government. The idea of having Queen Elizabeth II's effigy on the obverse was scrapped.

The Royal Mint assigned the work on the design of the Maltese coins to Christopher Ironside. Incidentally, Cremona's designs depicting a galley of the Order of St John and one featuring the George Cross were reworked and incorporated in the Royal Mint's new designs. The first coin samples were sent for the Central Bank of Malta's approval in January and February 1972. The coin samples were approved by the Maltese Minister of Finance on 7 March 1972.'

Correspondence with Currency Museum, Central Bank of Malta, Sept 2020.

[<k>]

Nicely researched.



I do like Mr. Ironside's unadopted design of a Norman window.

But it's a superb set in general.