UK circulating commemorative coins for 2021

[Deeman]

Ahead of the 50p coin issue for the 75th anniversary of the death of John Logie Baird, which I assume will be issued with the year pack, I thought some background information might be of interest.

Scottish inventor John Logie Baird was the first person to demonstrate a working television system. When he was eighteen, Baird went to Glasgow to study engineering. It took him eight years to finish, because he was often too unwell to attend classes. When World War I started, he tried to join the army, but was declared unfit, and was forced to work in a factory instead, where he found the work tiresome and he swore he would invent something – something that would provide him with a happy life.

In 1922 he began to research and experiment with the problems of transmitting and receiving visual signals. His experiments suggested to him that a 30-line resolution was the minimum to produce a recognisable image, and this was the standard he adopted. His breakthrough came on 2 Oct 1925 when he produced a recognisable image with tone gradation, first using the head of a ventriloquist's dummy he nicknamed "Stooky Bill" and then a human face. On 26 Jan 1926 Baird repeated his experiment, this time making a formal demonstration of his 'Televisor' in front of the Royal Institution. A Times journalist reported that the image was 'faint and often blurred.' His system used mechanical picture scanning and a transmitter with electronic amplification at the transmitter and receiver. The signal could be transmitted by telephone line or radio.

In 1927 Baird transmitted a long-distance signal over 438 miles of telephone line between London and Glasgow. In 1928 he developed a colour scanning technique, and made the first transatlantic television transmission from London to New York and the first transmission to a ship in mid-Atlantic. He demonstrated colour television for the first time on 3 Jul 1928 using scanning discs at the transmitting and receiving ends with three spirals of apertures, each spiral with a filter of a different primary colour; and three light sources at the receiving end, with a commutator to alternate their illumination. The demonstration was of a young girl wearing different coloured hats. That same year he also demonstrated stereoscopic (3D) television.

Reply#17 shows his 30-line 'Televisor' of 1930-33.

In 1930 the BBC broadcast a half-hour television programme on weekday mornings, produced in Baird's facilities, and two half-hour midnight broadcasts on Tuesdays and Fridays.
In July 1930 the first drama program was broadcast, The Man with a Flower in his Mouth. This was a static play wherein each actor took turns speaking a monologue to the camera, quickly exchanging places with another after a checkerboard card was slid between them and the camera. The production was simple, but the audience loved it. In 1931 Baird Television made its first outdoor broadcast, a horse race.

In the early 1930s Baird's mechanical system was rapidly becoming obsolete as electronic systems were developed, chiefly by Marconi-EMI in Britain and America.

[eurocoin]

Just in:

The Royal Mint and other dealers will release the new coins on January 4.
No 2021-dated coins will be released tonight!

[MCz]

Just received e-mail from Royal Mint about this including information that five commemorative coins in annual set. And on the photo (obverses visibles) are: 5 pounds, 2x 2 pounds and 2x 50pence, so second 50p instead of third 2£ as in previous years.

[MCz]

2021 coins will be released within one hour but pictures are already avaliable on daily mail website:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9108737/Royal-mint-coin-designs.html

[eurocoin]

Free Gruffalo and Mouse BU pack at the Royal Mint for orders over 50 pounds enter code BND236.

[Deeman]

H. G. Wells & Sir Walter Scott £2 issues.

[Deeman]

Decimalisation & John Logie Baird 50p issues.

[Deeman]

H. G. Wells - original illustration from War of the Worlds.

[Deeman]

I particularly like the HG Wells & decimal anniversary designs.

The HG Wells design referring to the novels The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine.

The decimal anniversary coin showing portions of the florin, English shilling, farthing, thruppence, sixpence, halfpenny and penny from the Queen's reign, but no half-crown.

[eurocoin]

I have seen many positive messages about the new coins.

[avle64e]

On the website of the Royal Mint (Set BU 2021), when describing 50 pence dedicated to decimalization, it is indicated that the designer of the obverse is Jody Clark. Although the portrait is clearly Arnold Machin.

[Deeman]

Free Gruffalo and Mouse BU pack at the Royal Mint for orders over 50 pounds enter code BND236.

BU pack ordered. Many thanks for the promo code eurocoin.

[Deeman]

On the website of the Royal Mint (Set BU 2021), when describing 50 pence dedicated to decimalization, it is indicated that the designer of the obverse is Jody Clark. Although the portrait is clearly Arnold Machin.

The designer is not indicated as Jody Clark. As you say, it is the second effigy by Arnold Machin 1968-1984 with the Queen wearing Queen Mary's tiara that was given to her by her Grandmother.

This explains the apparent anomaly in the October 2020 proclamation that gave two differing legends for the 50p issues.

[avle64e]

The designer is not indicated as Jody Clark.

Jodie Clark is listed for the 2021 set. https://www.royalmint.com/our-coins/ranges/annual-sets/2021-annual-coin-sets/the-2021-united-kingdom-brilliant-uncirculated-annual-coin-set/    The rest are written correctly. When I bought it, I only looked at the BU set. I checked the rest later.

[Deeman]

Of the range of dates relating to John Logie Baird in the coin design, I would have thought that 1906, when he commences studying engineering, is not that momentous. It would have been more appropriate to have 1922 when he began to research and experiment.