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

Started by <k>, February 18, 2011, 04:49:37 AM

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<k>

If you want to see dozens more works by Christopher Ironside, and you have a couple of hours to spare, click on the link below:

Christopher Ironside

Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

Ships.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

Two of Mr Ironside's portraits of QEII, intended for the decimal series (in the event, Arnold Machin's portrait was accepted), and one intended for a medal.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

FosseWay

Ooh, I like design E for the heptagonal 20 pence! Very novel use of the whole planchet.

Mind you, I also like the actual 1982-2008 20p design, and have always considered it my favourite of all the standard pre-2008 decimal reverses.

<k>

The 1982 to 2008 20p design by William Gardner is the only one of the standard decimal series that I would consider a classic. I exclude the pound coins here, as they changed very year.

You can see from these prototypes that Mr Ironside produced some superb designs, but unfortunately the ones that were chosen were considerably watered down from his original vision.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

Spyke63

Dear CoffeeTime,

Thank you for making so much of Christopher's work available. 

I have now completed the update on Wikipedia and am at present preparing a small booklet on all his coin designs, as listed on Wikipedia, to coincide with my mother-in-laws (Jean Ironside)'s 80th birthday.  Your webpage has been most useful with this endeavour.

Could you please give me your mailing address so that I can send you a copy when complete.

Regards
Peter

<k>

Quote from: Spyke63 on August 14, 2011, 05:49:21 PM
Dear CoffeeTime,

Thank you for making so much of Christopher's work available. 

I have now completed the update on Wikipedia and am at present preparing a small booklet on all his coin designs, as listed on Wikipedia, to coincide with my mother-in-laws (Jean Ironside)'s 80th birthday.  Your webpage has been most useful with this endeavour.

Could you please give me your mailing address so that I can send you a copy when complete.

Regards
Peter


Thank you, Peter, I am honoured. That is very kind of you. I will send you my address in a private message. Look at the top left of the screen for "My messages". When you see a little [1] appear next to it, please click on it and read my message.

Phil.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

The Royal Mint have released photos of some of Christopher Ironside's pattern pieces for the UK, dated 1963: The unseen Ironsides
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>




The Royal Mint also issued a commemorative 50 pence coin for 2013, Mr Ironside's birth centenary. I

t shows one of his initial fifty pence designs, which was not ultimately adopted.

Apparently it was the Duke of Edinburgh's preferred design for the 50 pence coin.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

FosseWay


malj1

Designing Britain's decimal coins began in 1961, Christopher Ironside was one of the talented individuals invited to submit designs as part of a combined Royal Designers for Industry/Royal College of Art team.

The Royal Mint shows some of Christopher Ironside's unrealised designs The UK coins that never were
Malcolm
Have a look at  my tokens and my banknotes.

eurocoin



It seems that over time the Royal Mint lost the trial strike of the 1/4 penny  :(

bgriff99

Quote from: eurocoin on January 18, 2015, 06:04:25 PM
It seems that over time the Royal Mint lost the trial strike of the 1/4 penny  :(


One quarter decimal penny... one new farthing... no matter how you rig that it comes out weird.    In case anybody wonders what was thought about all that in the US, we were amazed that those big bronze pennies, worth exactly one US cent at the time, could be made at all.    The shilling and florin becoming 5p and 10p made sense from a transition standpoint, but obviously had to be changed too, eventually, just on a metal mass basis.   The 1968 set appeared in my Christmas stocking around that time.   I suppose I had a more visceral feeling of the acceleration of inflation than my peers.

eurocoin

UK ¼d 1963-ptn.jpg

UK quarter penny pattern, 1963.


After some emailing with the Royal Mint Museum I can now show the pattern 1/4 penny.

It is part of the series above.


There are 6 of these in the collection of the Royal Mint Museum.

All the patterns shown upthread and the one above are uniface.