The post of Master of the
Mint given to Isaac Newton was a sinecure (paid appointment with not any particular responsibilities), but Newton was quite active and involved in it for the last 30 or so years of
his life. Going after counterfeiters and establishing a new ratio between gold and silver. I think that the fact that Newton was very interested in alchemy
had much to do with
his enthusiasm as
mint master.
I am curious about whether he
had a hand in choosing the
types for British currency or legends? Or, I wonder whether there were any medals commemorating him done during
his life time, with or without
his permission? I imagine that he did _not_ have any role in choosing the imagery of British coinage, but ask the question anyways.