Vanuatu: 50 vatu, 1988, Olympic Games - original sketch

[<k>]

Vanuatu, 50 vatu, 1988.  Olympic Games, Seoul, South Korea.

Vanuatu issued this collector coin to celebrate the boxing event.

[<k>]

MDM Deutsche Münze, a German coin company, provided the design for this coin to the Royal Mint (UK).

I am very grateful to the Royal Mint Museum (UK) for providing me with a scan of this sketch and memo.

Hubert Elsässer, the Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint at that time, notes in his memo:

Ian,

Here is the design as supplied by Deutsche Münze, the modelling is being done by Mr. I. Rank-Broadley. I shall comment on his competence as soon as I receive his model.

Regards Hubert.

'Mr. I. Rank-Broadley' is of course Ian Rank-Broadley, but I do not know the surname of the Ian whom Mr. Elsässer is addressing in his memo.

[<k>]

There is an obvious detail that shows this coin design was the work of a German company, namely the full stop (period) after 'XXIV'. By convention in written German, a full stop after a number turns it from a cardinal number into an ordinal number. For a German, the legend on the coin actually reads 'Twenty-fourth Olympic Games'.

Evidently the Germans did not know that this convention is neither used nor understood by English speakers.

[Big_M]

There is an obvious detail that shows this coin design was the work of a German company, namely the full stop (period) after 'XXIV'. By convention in written German, a full stop after a number turns it from a cardinal number into an ordinal number. For a German, the legend on the coin actually reads 'Twenty-fourth Olympic Games'.

Evidently the Germans did not know that this convention is neither used nor understood by English speakers.

This is in any case wrong, this should have stated "Games of the 24th Olympiad". Using a simple ordinal in this context is incorrect, notably because of the three games cancelled during the world wars (1916, 1940, 1944).