Norman Sillman: Coin Designer

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Jersey, 50 pence, 1972.

The royal sceptre of Charles II, superimposed on a map of the island.



Jersey, 1 pound, 1972.

The Jersey lily (Amaryllis belladonna).



Jersey, 2 pounds and 50 pence, 1972.

A lobster, such as can be found in the seas around Jersey.



Jersey, 2 pounds, 1972.

The Alexandra, a Jersey sailing ship launched in 1865.

Jersey issued a silver and gold commemorative set in 1972.

It commemorated the Silver Wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II.


More of Mr. Sillman's designs can be seen on the reverse of the  that

Here you see silver coins, though the images are not to scale.

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Jersey, 25 pounds, 1972.

The arms of Elizabeth Castle (built in 1593), St. Aubin, Jersey.



Jersey, 5, 10, 20, 25 and 50 pounds, 1972.

Here you see the gold pieces.

The top row shows the Arnold Machin effigy of the Queen, the Jersey state arms, and the arms of Elizabeth Castle.

The bottom row shows a green ormer (sea snail), a Celtic gold chain from 1500 BC (held in a Jersey museum), and a shrew.

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Obverse of the Qatari 5 dirhams.


Reverse of the Qatari 50 dirhams.

Qatar issued its first national coinage in 1973, and Mr. Sillman designed the coins.

He based the common reverse, showing an Arab dhow, on the Qatari state arms.

He created a superb design from rather simplistic and unpromising material.

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Green turtles.



A manatee.



A giant anteater.

Costa Rica issued a wildlife collector set in 1974.

The set was in aid of the World Wildlife Fund.

Mr. Sillman produced the designs.


This was his first full wildlife set intended for collectors only.

He portrays the animals in movement and in a very lifelike fashion.

Note the long tongue on the giant anteater.

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Nepal, 25 rupees, 1974.  Himalayan pheasant.




Nepal, 50 rupees, 1974.  Red panda.




Nepal, 1000 rupees, 1974.

King Birendra of Nepal (obverse); and a rhinoceros (reverse).

Nepal issued a set of world wildlife commemoratives in 1974.  Mr. Sillman's designs are rich in detail, showing King Birendra in his ornate crown on the obverse of the coins, whilst the country's wildlife is realistically depicted on the reverse. Mr. Sillman liked to visit London Zoo, when possible, in order to study his animal subjects.

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The 5 pa'anga coin.

The 5 pa'anga depicts King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV and the constitution.



The 10 and 20 pa'anga coins.

The 10 pa'anga (left) depicts King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.

Beneath his portrait is the Haʻamonga ʻa Maui (Burden of Maui).

This is a stone trilithon on the island of Tongatapu.


The 20 pa'anga (right) depicts the monarchs of Tonga.

Clockwise from the top they are:

Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, Queen Salote Tupou III (1918-65), George Tupou II (1893-1918), and George Tupou I (1845-93).

A series of four gold coins portrayed the same effigy of each monarch individually:



25  pa'anga: George Tupou I.



50  pa'anga: George Tupou II.



75  pa'anga: Salote Tupou III.



100 pa'anga: Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.

Tonga issued a special series of gold and silver coins in 1975.

They commemorated the centenary of the constitution.

Mr. Sillman's designs incorporated portraits of all Tonga's monarchs, past and present.

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2½ pounds.  Shoebill stork.



5 pounds.  Hippopotamus and calf.



100 pounds.  Scimitar-horned oryx.

Sudan issued a silver and gold World Wildlife Fund series in 1976.

Mr. Sillman once more showed his mastery of the depiction of exotic wildlife.

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5 kwacha: Zebras.  10 kwacha: Sable antelope.



250 kwacha: nyala antelopes.

Mr. Sillman's next numismatic assignment was another wildlife conservation series.

This set for Malawi was issued in 1978.

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A kafue lechwe.




A taita falcon.




An African wild dog.

Mr. Sillman's final numismatic assignment of the 1970s was for Zambia.

These coin were also coincidentally denominated in kwacha.

They were issued in 1979.


The African wild dog is a masterpiece.

It looks so real, it almost has a personality.

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UK, 2 pounds, 1986.

After so many exotic designs for countries all over the world, Mr. Sillman moved somewhat closer to home when he designed the reverse of the UK 1986 collector two pound coin. It commemorated the Commonwealth Games, which were held in Edinburgh. A large thistle superimposed on a St Andrew's flag emphasised the Scottish location.

This was the first modern collector two pound coin (if we exclude the gold sovereigns and gold Britannia coins of that denomination). The denomination would not become a regular circulating coin until 1997, but the circulation coin is bimetallic and somewhat thinner than the older collector coins.

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UK, 2 pounds, 1986.

Mr. Sillman also designed Jersey's commemorative coin for the Commonwealth Games.

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Cayman Islands, $5, 1993.

The Cayman Islands issued a collector 5 dollar coin in 1993.

It celebrated the 40th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Here Mr. Sillman produced the ornate sort of design associated with British royalty.

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East Caribbean States, $10, 1993.

The East Caribbean States, a currency union, issued a 10 dollar coin to celebrate the same occasion. 

On the reverse of the coin we see Mr. Sillman's first numismatic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

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Jamaica, $10, 1993.

Jamaica also issued a 10 dollar coin on the same theme.

Once again, Mr. Sillman designed the portrait of the Queen that appears on the reverse of the coin.

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St. Helena and Ascension, 50 pence, 1994.

St. Helena and Ascension issued a 50 pence coin in 1994.

It commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Landings.

The design provided by Mr. Sillman is in more symbolic vein than his usual work.