Worst Modern Coins

[Will Hooton]

There are several reasons why I could not collect Euro's. Firstly, the Euro design has to be one of the most boring in the history of numismatics IMO, as are many of the reverse designs of many countries. For instance if I were to collect Malta Euro coins I would have the exiting variety of 3 different designs on 8 different denominations!

That's another thing. I like to collect coins with variety on both sides not just one.

It is true that there is variety on Euro coins taking into account the whole of the EU, but I have no interest in collecting German or Spanish euro coins. This is just my personal taste.

There is one positive aspect however. My collection of Krooni will come to completion, unlike my ancient coins!

[Andrew McCabe]

Why should Euros not be collectable? Only one side of them is identical. The other is different in each country. And then many special issues appear each year with themes related to the editing country. And you can buy several silver and gold issues. The problem is, that there are too much coins!

Best regards

The sharing of euro manufacture amongst a dozen or more small mints has meant that there are by now a remarkable number of unintended varieties surfacing, moreover those who know the coins will know that the reverse types have also changed significantly a couple of times, and with so many different obverses even a type collection is a big undertaking. Scanning your change to find circulating coins of Malta, Slovenia or Finland (all scarcer than usual) is fun. On the downside, some countries have made terrible use of the real estate of their obverse - the worst I can think of being Ireland, which for 75 years had coins with reverse designs of great artistic merit and then chose just to use a common obverse type for every coin from cent to 2 euros. The circulating 2 euro coins are varied and interesting. The higher denomination commemoratives are not really coins, just picture-money. Italy has probably the most artistic obverses, but it's always interesting to look in your change as there's always a mix. All in all it's a mixed bag but turning into a lot more interesting field than modern US or UK coins, although the newest UK coins with the jigsaw shield are really novel in design.

[commodus]

The United States has a pretty substantial variety of circulating coins. At the present time (Nov. 2010) there are 2 one cent types (3 if you can find any of the few "wheat penny" reverses still circulating), 5 five cent types, 1 ten cent, a whopping 62 quarter dollar (twenty-five cent) types: namely 50 state quarters, 5 (so far) National Parks quarters, the 1976 Bicentennial quarter (of which most still circulate), the traditional Washington quarter with eagle reverse, and 5 territorial quarters! There are 2 circulating Kennedy half dollar types, and 21 dollar coin types (not that anyone uses them): 16 presidential dollar coins so far (these all circulate and are, like the quarters, not commemoratives), three circulating "Native American" dollar types, plus the old Susan B. Anthony and Eisenhower dollars (the latter mostly available only sporadically from banks).
WAY too many coins if you ask me. Most of the designs are awful, but one's pocket change is never boring. I do not believe any other single nation has as many currently circulating coin designs; only the European Union has more.

[Syltorian]

On the downside, some countries have made terrible use of the real estate of their obverse

Our Euros - Luxembourg - are pretty dreadful in this respect. Every coin bears the head of the Grand Duke. By law, it has to. Which means that even for the coins where both sides are the same throughout the Eurozone (such as the Treaty of Rome ones), ours bear the effigy of the sovereign set into the design. It's a pity they couldn't get this inventive on the general issues.

[dltcoins]

The United States has a pretty substantial variety of circulating coins. At the present time (Nov. 2010) there are 2 one cent types (3 if you can find any of the few "wheat penny" reverses still circulating)...

You underestimate the US mint's madness. There have been five new circulating one cent coins in 2009 and 2010 alone! 

[Bacchus]

For sheer madness of reverse types it's hard to top the Isle of Man.  It's probably not an exaggeration that there is a different circulating "type" for every single resident - and then there are the crown commeratives and the like.

And I'm with Will, I find the Euro's a bit soul-less.  They just don't float my boat at all.

[Andrew McCabe]

The United States has a pretty substantial variety of circulating coins. At the present time (Nov. 2010) there are 2 one cent types (3 if you can find any of the few "wheat penny" reverses still circulating), 5 five cent types, 1 ten cent, a whopping 62 quarter dollar (twenty-five cent) types: namely 50 state quarters, 5 (so far) National Parks quarters, the 1976 Bicentennial quarter (of which most still circulate), the traditional Washington quarter with eagle reverse, and 5 territorial quarters! There are 2 circulating Kennedy half dollar types, and 21 dollar coin types (not that anyone uses them): 16 presidential dollar coins so far (these all circulate and are, like the quarters, not commemoratives), three circulating "Native American" dollar types, plus the old Susan B. Anthony and Eisenhower dollars (the latter mostly available only sporadically from banks).
WAY too many coins if you ask me. Most of the designs are awful, but one's pocket change is never boring. I do not believe any other single nation has as many currently circulating coin designs; only the European Union has more.

The UK coinage is more interesting than you might think due to the coins of the dependencies - Isle of Man, Jersey, Gibralter, Guernsey, Falkland Islands - which can be found from time to time in circulation in Britain. They are rare in circulation but not excessively so, I come across maybe one per month. It's the chance of finding unusual stuff that makes it interesting to check your change. State Quarters don't have that buzz, being more akin to the 2 pound and 2 euro coins which come in very many different designs. A disadvantage of US coins is of course that it barely circulates. You can buy a cup of coffee or a small beer with a single coin anywhere in Europe but you can't buy anything with a coin in the USA. It's not a store of value, it's just small change. The numbers you quote for the US are by comparison overwhelmed with euro types - specially considering many countries issue a new circulating 2 euro design every single year. And there are a lot of countries. All I can say is that I never really bother to look at my change in the USA, perhaps presidential dollar coins and state quarters, but there's never anything as exciting as finding a Falkand Islands pound or a 5 cent from Monaco in ones change.

[commodus]

The United States has a pretty substantial variety of circulating coins. At the present time (Nov. 2010) there are 2 one cent types (3 if you can find any of the few "wheat penny" reverses still circulating)...

You underestimate the US mint's madness. There have been five new circulating one cent coins in 2009 and 2010 alone! 

You are so right! I entirely forgot the four circulating Lincoln bicentennial cents.

The others circulating are the new shield and old memorial reverses (and some wheat reverses are still out there as well). All have the same obverse (the Brenner bust of Lincoln in use since 1909).

If you really want to talk madness, look at the number of non-circulating commemoratives the mint churns out, most of which are never seen by the general public. For me, the height of the madness was achieved with the issuance of three commemoratives (one in gold!) for the capitol building vistor's center, of all things, issued in 2001. And then, of course, there are the ridiculous new gigantic 5 ounce (about 142 grams) silver versions of the National Parks quarters.

[commodus]

I don't disagree with you, Andrew, about US coins being dull as a rule. That's why I don't collect them anymore -- that and the fact that there are too darned many of them! On the other hand, I don't find most euro coins to be any better, and some are even worse.
I do, however, disagree that coins don't circulate heavily in the US. They do. The patterns of circulation are different than with euro coins, as hardly anyone in the US uses dollar coins (nor will they as long as the dollar notes continue to be produced) and, yes, most US transactions involving coins are for small change, but everyone uses them regularly on a daily basis. I'd estimate from personal experience that a great deal more small change is used on a daily per capita basis in the US than in Europe, where it often seems that almost every merchant pretends never to have any small coins (and maybe they don't). No one ever asks for exact change in the US and few ever offer it, so as a consequence a great deal of small denomination coins are needed and merchants are expected to -- and always do -- have them. Part of the reason for this, undoubtedly, lies in the fact that pricing in the US never includes sales tax, which varies from place to place and is always added to the price at the time of purchase. This is not the case in Europe, where one always knows exactly what one is going to pay for an item. Thus, in Europe it is the larger denomination coins that circulate the heaviest while in the US it is the smaller denomination ones that do. But believe me, in the US a LOT of coins change hands every day.

[Steve E]

I too miss the variety of the pre-euro coins! Also the euros are too low relief and lack fine detail and artistic style as a whole IMO. I also miss the days when copper and bronze were considered base metal  now they are treated like silver was in the past. I understand the economic reasons, its just a shame thats all.

By the way, US dollar coins are a great way to dispense change in vending machines that accept $5 bills

I agree with many of the above comments about modern coins losing their appeal, whether its cheap metal, poor artistry, the need for coins to be the same size, shape and make up, or just too darn many US quarters! I'm so glad I found Ancient coins to inject new life, for me, into the King of Hobbies!

Steve

[mwilson603]

At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, is there any chance of this thread being dragged back to the original title?    Maybe this discussion of which modern coinage is the worst could be lifted and shifted to a new thread by a moderator?
regards
Mark

[commodus]

I'll grant that the thread got off topic, but it also got more activity.

[areich]

Modern coins are ugly and boring. 

[Stkp]

[quote/]

The UK coinage is more interesting than you might think due to the coins of the dependencies - Isle of Man, Jersey, Gibralter, Guernsey, Falkland Islands - which can be found from time to time in circulation in Britain. They are rare in circulation but not excessively so, I come across maybe one per month. It's the chance of finding unusual stuff that makes it interesting to check your change.
[/quote]

There is a column in one of the American coin magazines (forget which one) titled "Found in Rolls" or something like that.  The author goes from bank to bank obtaining rolls of circulating U.S. coins and writes a column on the more unusual coins found within them.  It is surprising to see the variety of oddities that show up.  Apart from older U.S. coins (silver coins, obsolete types, etc.) there are the frequent Canadian coins and assorted small coins from a host of other countries that are of the size of the American circulating coins.  Come to think of it, this description doesn't make it sound all that fascinating (I don't look with excitement at my pocket change); yet it is enough to sustain a column year after year.

[*Alex]

At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, is there any chance of this thread being dragged back to the original title?    Maybe this discussion of which modern coinage is the worst could be lifted and shifted to a new thread by a moderator?
regards
Mark

I hope that I have made at least one grumpy old man very happy. 

Alex.

[mwilson603]

Thanks Alex, I'm on the road tonight and all tomorrow, however I will have a "small" single malt to your best health on Thursday!
regards
Mark

[Maffeo]

As a Papal States collector for more than thirty years I have no hesitation in saying that the ugliest modern coins are Vatican euro.

[ecoli]

I collect modern American coins...

I consider the washington quarter with the retooled hair to be the worst.

[Randygeki(h2)]

I collect modern American coins...

I consider the washington quarter with the retooled hair to be the worst.

I agree, I dont like them either.

[James A2]

My candidate for ugliest modern coin is the Jefferson/Lewis and Clark nickel, especially the obverse with its mismatched type fonts and the portrait
looming like a cliff with nothing to balance it. The problem with the reverse is the clutter of small detail. it looks much better enlarged. I have a
really good image that I made just as a challenge. I wish I could show it on Forum, but I guess they wouldn't let me . Jim A

[commodus]

Why can't you post it, Jim? Go ahead!

[commodus]

On the downside, some countries have made terrible use of the real estate of their obverse - the worst I can think of being Ireland, which for 75 years had coins with reverse designs of great artistic merit and then chose just to use a common obverse type for every coin from cent to 2 euros.

And that's not the worst of Ireland's euro-related problems!

[cliff_marsland]

I dislike most modern coins, but my vote would be the awful wrapped/colorized coins issued by private mints.  How cheesy.

[commodus]

My candidate for ugliest modern coin is the Jefferson/Lewis and Clark nickel, especially the obverse with its mismatched type fonts and the portrait
looming like a cliff with nothing to balance it. The problem with the reverse is the clutter of small detail. it looks much better enlarged.

Here are images of the coin described, enlarged substantially. The actual coin is only 21.21mm in diameter.

[areich]

The root of the problem (and perhaps the Root of all Evil™) is the idea that coins must be stackable.