UK circulating commemorative coins for 2020

[augsburger]

The Diversity Built Britain coin will be released into circulation this Monday. 2.5 million pieces will enter general circulation. Sunak must have been very eager. It is the first coin in a series with this theme.

Just had to check the date, make sure it wasn't April 1st.

[Deeman]

The Diversity Built Britain coin will be released into circulation this Monday. 2.5 million pieces will enter general circulation. Sunak must have been very eager. It is the first coin in a series with this theme.

I like this simplistic design as an initiator for a series on our history and heritage. There will probably be many who won't agree with me.

[Figleaf]

It's important to read Dominique Evans' explanation of the design here to understand the relation between the text and the dome. That is also the weakness of the design. It needs an explanation. Its strength is - apart from its simplicity, which I find a virtue on a coin - not using all the too obvious symbols, from oaks to grinning heads without a mask and extended hand holding.

Peter

[Alan71]

Not sure I'm too keen on this coin.  "Diversity" covers everyone, so the statement on the coin is effectively "People Built Britain".  Well, what do you know?!  There now seems to be some confusion as to what diversity means - it certainly doesn't just mean ethnic diversity.  I would choose to see it as representing, say, women, LGBTQ+ people, people with physical disabilities, those with mental health problems and older people (have I missed any minority?) along with the only type of people not seen as a minority or disadvantaged group, namely white, middle class, heterosexual men with no physical or mental disabilities and not too old.

It just seems too much of a knee-jerk reaction to me.

[augsburger]

I like this simplistic design as an initiator for a series on our history and heritage. There will probably be many who won't agree with me.

The biggest problem I have with this is that, yes, Britain was built on diversity. Mostly at the expense of those people in the British Empire who suffered so Britain could get rich.

I'm not sure what the coin is supposed to achieve. It doesn't really celebrate anything much at all, but seems to be some kind of political attempt at telling people that they're a diverse country. This will just aggravate those who do not want mass immigration but get told by the hard core left that it must happen, they must be tolerant and they must do what they're told. Which in the end won't help diversity at all.

[Figleaf]

I see the above discussion as a civilised version of the "Black lives matter" discussion in the US. The right's retorts, "Blue lives matter" and "All lives matter" indeed show that the slogan is wrong. It should have been "Black lives matter ALSO". It's not about excluding white, middle class, heterosexual men but about including minorities on the same level as the rest. That's common sense and not about politics or immigration but about morality and ethics.

It's the same with the coin design. The text DIVERSITY is not about exclusion, but about inclusion. The lines that form the dome are equally long (taking perspective into account) for a reason the designer explained. The concept is not about politics and immigration but about discrimination. It is obvious that in the UK, policemen do not have a highly disturbing tendency to murder minority people. It is just as obvious that it is wrong to think that the UK is the only country where people don't have to be reminded that minorities matter also.

Peter

[chrisild]

I see the above discussion as a civilised version of the "Black lives matter" discussion in the US. The right's retorts, "Blue lives matter" and "All lives matter" indeed show that the slogan is wrong.

Is it? Depends on who says it. A while ago I read about a study that dealt with refugees (primarily unaccompanied minors), with the title "I am human". Obviously that was not meant in the sense of "... and you are not".   Similarly, if a group of people frequently experience that their lives do not matter quite as much as others, they have every right to say "our lives matter".

But I agree, the theme and design of this coin is not about one group only, but about the idea that people from various ethnic (and other) backgrounds built and are building the country, together. I would have preferred the present tense on the coin, but this version works too ...

Christian

[eurocoin]

The Royal Mint has had to cancel a significant amount of orders for the coins in the Winnie the Pooh 50p series. The orders were of people who live outside of the UK. They have allegedly had to take this action following a complaint of Disney. The licensing agreement between The Royal Mint and Disney does not allow them to sell the coins to clients who live in (certain?) countries outside of the UK. Orders by people who live in the crown dependencies have been cancelled too. It appears that The Royal Mint is only allowed to sell the products to customers who live in the UK itself.

[eurocoin]

The first Diversity 50p's have now been found in circulation.

[eurocoin]

The Royal Mint is again going to issue a Snowman 50p coin this year. The coin will depict the Snowman and the boy.

[Deeman]

The Royal Mint is again going to issue a Snowman 50p coin this year. The coin will depict the Snowman and the boy.

If it is the 2019 Snowman & Boy design, then I think I am right in saying that it will be the first time the RM has repeated an existing design for an unlimited issue.
Previous repeated commemorative designs - the 40th and 50th 50p anniversary sets, the 2009 London Olympics Blue Peter Athletics issue and the 2018 Isaac Newton SYO coin – had a limited issue.

[quaziright]

Isn't the 10pence alphabet series repeated with the same design in 2019 as struck in 2018? Unlike Australia which will strike a new design series for 2021 distinctly different from 2020

[Deeman]

Isn't the 10pence alphabet series repeated with the same design in 2019 as struck in 2018? Unlike Australia which will strike a new design series for 2021 distinctly different from 2020

You are quite right quaziright. My focus was on the 50p & £2 commemoratives.

[eurocoin]

The Christmas 50p will be released on December 1.

[eurocoin]

The Christmas 50p will be released on December 1.

The issuance of this coin has possibly been postponed.