Netherlands: Unrealised "Mint Coin" design

[chrisild]

This year the Royal Dutch Mint (KNM) celebrates 100 years of the mint building in Utrecht. On this occasion the KNM will not only issue a collector coin but, as Peter showed us, also made and will make a series of videos ("Looking behind the scenes").

The design that will be minted as a coin is shown here (100 Jaar Muntgebouw). This is the second one (which was not chosen), by Pannos Goutzemisis. Interesting how the man holds the caduceus or Mercury staff, the KNM's mintmark. In the video (see Film 4 at http://www.knm.nl/Film/nl/page/492/) the artist explains how the outline of the mint building - depicted in the lower right "corner" - could have consisted of names (in microprint) of people involved in the construction and history of the mint.

Another interesting aspect is that Queen Beatrix is not depicted in the middle of the other side but a little of-center. His idea was that in the empty space next to hear you could imagine Wilhelmina, queen at the time when the mint building was opened in 1911 ...

Christian

[Globetrotter]

and now the mint has been sold!

Ole