UK Royal Animals: Rejected Designs of 1936

[<k>]

Rhodesia and Nyasaland, 2 shillings, 1955.

The five shillings sketch reminds me of the fish eagle on the two shillings coin of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, seen above.

That design was the work of English numismatic artist, Humphrey Paget.

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Search The Royal Mint Museum collection for more patterns from this period.

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[Figleaf]

Sorry, I have to be pedantic. The object within the date is not a crown but an orb, or to be exact a globus cruciger. Therefore, the "freedom under the crown" explanation doesn't work.

The orb's origin is in the Roman empire, where it was an attribute of Jupiter, the god-in-chief. It symbolised Jupiter's power to rule the world (holding the world in his hand). During the late empire, it became an imperial attribute, used mostly in combination with a long sceptre. Early medieval christians objected to the symbol, so it received a cross. While it became a commonplace symbol for emperors as well as kings (including the Dutch royal house), it remains a rather immodest claim of power

Peter

[<k>]

The object within the date is not a crown but an orb, or to be exact a globus cruciger. Therefore, the "freedom under the crown" explanation doesn't work.

That was the mistake of the designer, then. And evidently nobody told him otherwise - or perhaps that was the reason for removing the orb.

[GCVO]

The dove on the half crown looks like it's being served for dinner, with the crown as a cover.