What is it with all these people going on about putting numbers back on the coin when u get change out of ur pocket u don't look for the number u know the coin by shape & colour but if u were still confused by that it is written on the coin what value they are. I love the design collected 3 so far!

Victoria, Hereford, Herefordshire

The new designs are ghastly. In fact, I thought they were an April Fool when I first saw them.

Chris Wilson, Northampton, UK

typical , to me it just pictures the BREAK up of an Un unified England, no longer great but Just Piece meal, a Fragmented brittain where nothing is complete,Displays nothing complete, Rubbish design, Hope this design dosnt last long,# Bring back the regal and splendid designs of Victorias time
Barr

placsom, Milton keynes, england

The Scots should be more aggrieved as it is the English variation on the Royal Arms, with two shields containing the English lions. Once again illustrating Labour's lack of respect for tradition and ignorance of the symbols that embody the United Kingdom.

Michael, Manchester, England

I like this new design, it is nicely modern, and will bring new life to the sterling coins.

Cory, Andover, England

On one hand, people are complaining that it's going against British history, it's too modern, too clever, etc. etc. Then on the other hand people are complaining Wales aren't represented. Well the fact is that historically wales isn't represented in the royal crest or union flag. Which is it?

M.Smith, newton-le-Willows,

very beautiful design, but i miss numbers and the Welsh dragon.

alex, constanti, catalonia

Are the British so arrogant as to remove the numbers from the coins. Look at Euro, it has numbers, look at coins from all around the world, numbers.

How stupid we will look to the rest of the world.

Tony Lewis, Stourbridge, England

Hahaha, they're not Welsh dragons, they're your English Lions, Mr. England.

Emma, Caerwys, Wales

Please Please Please can we have some numbers on them - it will not only help jolly foreigners but also our children learning about coins as they grow up.

Some Numbers on them please ..........

Pablo Hunter, HULL, UK

why does it matter what is on the coins, in the end its just money surely it doesn't matter what the picture is, they should put a picture of something truly British like a cup of tea! It just doesn't matter.

Matthew Davies, Garraf, Barcelona

If it totally misses off wales what are the three welsh dragons in the bottom right hand corner???

DanH, West Midlands, England

How am I expected to teach 4 & 5 year olds the value of the coinage if it dosn't have numerals to denote value ?

C Wright, March,

Is the Mint's design brief indicative of Gordon Brown's new Britain? - back to the past. For him Wales has no place on the flag nor on the coins (although space enough for Ireland), and he refuses to countenance a holiday in Wales on St. David's Day, yet tries to invent a Britain day without being able to say what day it should be. It is difficult to see why he thinks Wales should be loyal to the concept of the UK when he is so keen to ignore and belittle her national symbols and traditions. I shall miss not being able to show visitors to the UK one of the current pound coins which not only has a dragon, but the start of the Welsh national anthem round its edge. Now that was a design worth celebrating.

Madoc, Twickenham,

The new coins are unfinished, off centre, fragmented, ignore Wales completely, and were imposed from high without consultation.
If only they were late, massively over-budget and had huge amounts creamed-off by politicians, they would capture modern Britain perfectly!

Dave Fookes, Abersoch, Wales

I'm surprised at the many negative reactions on this site to the unveiling of these coins. As an occasional coin collector (and constant coin user) I was shocked and pleasantly surprised by this new unified design. I've never seen anything like this done with coinage before. It's genius, and wholly original. The designer is correct: people will indeed line up the seven coins to make the shield. Kids and adults alike are going to love it. What impresses me most, aside from the cleverness of the whole scheme, is how well each individual coin sports a fragment of the shield without looking incomplete on its own. This is a first of its kind idea, and now any country that emulates it will simply be copying the UK. Well done, Royal Mint.

Ed Holden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

I think this design is great. Its modern while still maintaining the traditional by using heraldry. Compared to some modern designs (e.g. the olympics logo) these look great.

Dave, Bangor,

The flag is the royal standard, which is NOT the national flag of England, but the flag of the royal family; who last time I checked were still monarchs of Wales, Scotland and England.

The designer of the coins is Welsh.

The coins are minted by the royal mint which is in Wales.

These coins are more welsh than English or Scottish.

So to those that claim the coins do not represent wales should get an education.

Robert Miles, Southend,

To Steve Williamson - Wales is one of the four countries of the UK. The Isle of Man is NOT part of the UK and has its own coinage, that's why the Manx aren't complaining!

Can't wait for the UK Euros!

Steve Sainsbury, Bristol, UK

I must say, its not as bad as I thought it would be. I had images of some horrbile PC design. Shame about Britannia though. :(

Aleksandr , Brighton, United Kingdom

The design was taken from the Royal coat of arms, Wales isn't represented on the coins because its not on the coat of arms. Obviously a change should be made and Wales should be on there. Similarly with Ireland, as only Northern Ireland is part of the UK surely the harp should be replaced with something more specifically Northern Irish?

Pete, London,

I think the design looks good.
Why should Wales be on the coin? Your not a Country you're a principality, similarly the Isle of Man isn't shown because they are a crown possession; you don't hear them crying about not being on a coin..... grow up!

Steve Williamson, Manchester, UK

There are those that embrace change and those that don't - the neophobes, are generally more pessimistic, nationalistic, anti-immigration, anti-European. We usually call them Conservatives. Move with the times, they're not so bad..

Great designs, you'll go far.

ashley fletcher, norwich,

I am very disappointed that Wales place in the United Kingdom is not acknowledged. The Welsh take tremendous pride in their heritage and national identity, which England over the centuries has tried to suppress and eradicate. EU coinage explicitly recognises the individual member states by having same denomination coins milled with individual members' national symbols on them. The Union recognises the importance and individuality of its members ... the Union in fact draws it strength from that individuality 'the sum of the parts being greater than the whole ...'

Gareth, Berkshire,

I am annoyed and disgusted that Wales, has no representation on these coins, other than their creator, if Wales, is just another county of England, then why isn't Welsh taught, as a second language in English schools, is it not time to put the record straight once and for all. the United Kingdom, is and always has been made up of four countries, for too long Wales has been lost in the shadows of an English majority.

Charles, Swansea, W/Glam

Louise Jones of Leicester said: "Wales IS represented by the harp on the shield." I'm sorry to disabuse her of this but the harp represents Ireland, a totally diferent Country.

Mark Jones, Cardiff,

To all the negative people who have added comments on our new coins, designed by Matthew Dent. This was a PUBLIC COMPETITION what was your excuse as to not enter?
I congratulate him on a extremely clever design. I also entered this compition and was put into the top 400 from 4,000. Only
when you enter into a competition like this do you realise how complex it is. The Royal Mint did say from the very beginning that British Heraldry would be considered top of the list of requirements and should be researched before submitting designs. To all who have never bothered to look at the heraldry of the U.K ( and there are quite a few by some of the comments here) take another look and you will see that all the images DO represent the United Kingdom. To those of you that are very dim and unwilling to CHANGE with the TIMES, this design is far superior to the Olympic logo 2012.
There is always the £2 coin for the mighty Britannia!
Well done Matthew Dent!

Claire Howe, West Sussex, England

These designs will look equally good on our Euro coins!

Mike, Glasgow,

Just another comment for people who think Wales has been left out! The designer is from Wales and the Royal Mint is also based in WALES!

Claire Howe, West Sussex, England

The alliance of the united land will fail in the attempt to keep the empire of the royal republic together we must act now to stop the down full of this massive rabbit warren... the coins bring a little bit of fun into peoples lives, how can that be a bad thing?

Andrew Merritt, London,

I myself am quite outraged that they took Britannia off the 50 pence coin. I think that she is a magnificent symbol of Britain who should always remain there. So much for Gordon Brown's idea to promote Britishness.

Giles O'Donovan, Aughton, Lancashire

Why retain 1p and 2p coins at all? In Australia, the 1 and 2-cent coins are long gone, and the 5 cents (=2p) should join them. Prices are still given in cents, with rounding up or down of totals to the nearest 5 cents. The UK should have a similar approach with prices to the nearest penny but 5p the smallest coin.

Faustino, Brisbane, Australia

None of the coins except the £1 coin have a complete design - the smaller coins have only fragments of a design. It is an example of the typical disparity between [design] theory and practice - another ivory tower concept by this wretched government.

The design of the coins does, however, accurately reflect the reality of the destructive fragmentation of the present UK multicultural society and the lack of a common purpose, goal and loyalty to the UK..

SMITH, Kent,

I see little point of using Scottish symbols when it is doubtful
that Scotland will remain in the so called United Kingdom for
much longer.

Jim MacDonald, Winnipg MB, Canada

Louise Jones,the harp is for Ireland.

Robert Boyd, Derby, Derbyshire

I wonder how many of those who are bemoaning the change could have named what was on the back of all the current coins before the new coins were unveiled.

Alex, Leicester, Leicestershire

Wales IS represented by the harp on the shield.

Louise Jones, Leicester,

I am disgusted that Wales were not included in the new coin design. Did the powers that be not think that the people of Wales would be insulted by their exclusion ? No wonder wales is leaning towards seperation from Westminster!

David Griffiths, Blaenau Ffestiniog,

British coins should representy all 4 countries in the Union and most certainly should have the numeric denominations. This is just another example of form being more important than function

jim Ferguson, northants, UK

As with the olympics logo another concept doomed to failure by being too clever.Possibly square coins would have worked -but ruined the pockets!! Our country has so many achievements of which we can be proud -could these not have been portrayed??

john, torquay , devon

Is this a joke? You have got to be joking..... Hideous, absolutely hideous.

James, Stratford,

I always admired the Heraldry of the European Countries, Heraldry is more about the person and not so much the family the Family or Countries except in this case. Prince Henry's recent granting of his own personalized coat of arms is awesome. The individualism of The European Countries is still alive and well. Kudos to our friends across the pond. So sad that the People in the American thirteen colonies, after 300 years don't understand that all of the 50 States where not colonies, and the majority of those states haven't convinced them of the need for better Unity, some how the 13 always place them selves on a elevated level, Heraldry could place in a different light on the First 13 and the later 37 as well, again the UK takes the lead, in being a Shining example of leadership. Symbols are symbolic of Individual unity and esteem.

William M. Harris, Derby, Kansas, United States of America

Well done Matthew Dent! An excellent design for us Brits to be proud of. I can't wait to get my hands on a full set of small change to do as reported....set them out on the tabletop to see the Royal Shield of Arms. Cracking Stuff for those who wish to remind themeselves how proud we are to have a royal family.

Robert Sheraton, Bath,

Nice design but still a weight in your purse and pocket. Why not discard the one and two penny coins as they are almost worthless.

David, Hunter Valley, Australia

Smart, sharp and edgy. So much more interesting than the bland Euro coins and these turgid Yankie coins we have the pleasure of using over here in the colonies......

Simon, Lexington , Massachusetts, USA

Would just like to offer my kudos for a most imaginative design. Truly inspired. Sadly I've always been stuck in the rather bland American currency and have admired the artistry of foreign currencies from afar, well until the euro hit that is, then those coutries lost their identity. Glad to see my friends across the pond haven't lost theirs. Good show!

Adam Stegmann, Rancho Cucamonga, United States/California

nulabour rubbish

cm edwards, southampton, england

Ambivalent - they've kept the coin shapes to maintain continuity with the old designs, but haven't taken the opportunity to re-size them as well. The 2p is far too big. As for the actual designs, I like them as a group, but the 20p and 1p definitely look odd on their own.

To anyone who says "What was wrong with the old design?", the fact is that the current coins were each designed to represent one of the four nations of the UK, or wider symbols for the whole country, and this new design continues that tradition rather stylishly.

Those who say this is "vandalism" of British heritage, you won't be able to fit your agenda onto these coins because they're obviously very British and classy, and totally different from any other country.

Andrew, you have no idea what you're talking about. All Bank of England notes ever printed, are redeemable for all time at the BoE at their face value. The same is true of coins at the Royal Mint. I wouldn't like to eat a 40 yr old pack of crisps.

Rupert, London,

And you are concerned about Heathrow?

william, South Delta, Canada

I suppose the next time I go back to Britain I will discover that I have have any number of old coins and notes that are no longer legal tender. These include: threepenny bits (which - cruel irony - bear a "thrift" motif); a couple of florins; a half crown; a Churchill crown; a host of large 2p coins; halfpenny coins; several "Wellington" five pound notes and so on. Every trip to the UK yields another nasty surpise. My hoard is hardly worth a fortune but I fail to see why the Bank of England should systematically render its issues worthless.

Frankly, I couldn't care a fig about the design - coins (and notes) that keep their value is what matters. Maybe it's time to bring back the gold sovereign and the silver sixpence. By the way, an American dollar remains legal tender whenever it was minted or printed. That's a great deal more than you can say about British currency which, for all its flashy designs, has a shorter shelf than a packet of crisps.

Andrew, Madrid, Spain

The removal of Britannia from our coinage only continues the vandalism of our British heritage which was set in motion over 30 years ago with decimalisation, subsequent governments have sold our British individuality in the name of EU conformity. Non of the political parties will now be happy untill we have our coins replaced by the €uro and we are nothing more than a state of the new holy-roman empire, governed by technocrats.

Les, Southport, England

They look good, but there are no numerals on them, making it harder for non-English speakers to work out their value.

Rachel, London,

Yeah, think the design when they are together's good, quite smart and unique, don't know how many countries which have different symbols on different coins, so it's definitely a fresh angle, however the 20p and 1p would like kinda weird on their own due to the cut off elements on the design...maybe a re-arrange of the coins would have fixed this.

I'll leave it with this quote....

"Kites rise highest against the wind not with it."
Sir Winston Churchill

Tim Ngwena, York, Surrey

I think these coins show a lot of creativity and adds a contemporary touch! Not something I would expect from the Royal Mint, but totally welcomed!

Sean, Surrey,

A jigsaw concept is fine if the jigsaw is occasionally assembled, but this one simply never will be (indeed can't be, properly), so in practical terms it is meaningless and therefore as graphic design it must be flawed. The penny and twenty pence coins are left with decapitated lions, not so much passant as mutilated. Indeed leonine body parts are strewn everywhere.

And why was the opportunity not taken to resize the coins relative to their value? The tuppenny bit remains several times larger than coins several times its value. I'm all for quirks and eccentricities but this seems perverse.

Robert Bargery, London, UK

The coin designs perfectly represent today’s Britain. Disunified, fragmented and confusing.

Vera, Merseyside, England

Your new coins are a lot nicer than the USA coins, with the exception of the 50-state quarters with a different design for each one.

I'm convinced that until recently it was illegal for American money to be attractive in any way (unlike the coinage issued before 1900).

Michael Pearce, Portland, OR, USA

the problem is not with the design of uk coins but with their weight and size. having a pocketful of change in uk is like carrying a dead elephant on your back.

john winter, tokyo, japan

Absolutely stunning design. And a flash of brilliance to think of the 'jigsaw'.

Congratulations Matthew Dent. Ignore all the whingers that have commented here, I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.

Andy, Abingdon,

i like the way the United States has never changed as far as the penny dime nickel quarter 50 cents piece and liberty dollar.. i dont see how that is going to make one bit of difference when it comes to buying anything.. we here in the Good ole USA dont quabble over such stupid things such as having the queen on our money system we have all of the presidents on the coinage here and all of states on the 25 cent piece. we use real silver and nickel on all of our coins. incidently the new coinage there just released will become so boring looking within a month that you 'll wish yo unever changed the look. Looks too symmetrical and boring. i think that anything made in England is far superior that what we make here which is very little nowadays since the chinese have taken over our economy making everything we buy which really ticks me off to the core.. The UK really is a beautiful place and we Americans love you guys. God bless The UK Ireland, Wales & Scotland

David egg, Charlotte, USA ....NC

i like the american coins much better than the UK Coins here, looks like they are made out of copper and aluminum.. hey! maybe they are made of that. i know that you are going to get mad at me not being from the Uk but the US coinage is far better and weighs alot more than the uk coins do.. and they are much more valuable looking.. i personally like the american coins especially the earlier Liberty coin.. looks like the uk will never make one that nice that has the weight that the Liberty dollar has.. and i dont give a hoot if you dont like what i said about the coinage looking like shiny aluminum.. sorry but thats the way it is and i will give you a penny for your thoughts.. hahahahaha,, and by th eway, i am a beatle fan .. The Uk is totally awesome and is the most beautiful place on earth. and by the way i think a proper logo would be all of the Beatles on the coins instead of the queen.. BTW David what is a Git.. sounds like a typical lancashire verbage.. How about ignoramus?

David egg, Charlotte, USA ....NC

Call me an ignorant American, but I'm not seeing how a picture of the British Royal Family's shield consitutes a victory for the EU or a loss of British identity. Anyone care to enlighten me?

Michael, Pueblo, Colorado, US

The pound coin looks good, the rest are offensive.

Graham Tate, Dubai,

There goes another part of British identity consigned to the dustbin of history, for no reason, just another step towards the gradual loss of British identity. Although, the designs that have been created, by the designer are quite good.

Chris'., Tamworth, Staffordshire.

35 grand for this innovative design.
400 grand for the Olympic symbol.
Is it too late to ask Mr Dent to give us a proper logo for 2012?

GJB, Slough, Berkshire

You miserable, negative moaning gits. At least they're worth something, unlike Zimbabwean cash. Harrumph!

David, Crawshawbooth, Lancashire

I read design blogs all day long and they are all talking about these coins. They are so awesome that I cant wait to order my proof set and frame it for enjoyment here in Texas!

Matt F, Dallas, TX

I like them, they are interesting the designer should feel very proud of his creat

alison, ashford,

It seems mildly ironic that the person who made the designs is from Bangor and yet the new coins hold no reference to Wales whatsoever - it's a shame because this seems to imply that Wales has no part in the United Kingdom.

Meg, Pembs,

Kudos to the Royal Mint and to the UK for daring to choose the most elegant, beautiful, distinctly modern yet noble coin design I've ever seen. I'm looking forward to being able to use them. Anyone looking for a good reason for not adopting the EURO, here you are!

George, Fribourg, Switzerland

I think they are rather nice. Pity the £2 coin is not changing, that could have been the place to include a reference to Wales.

Clive, Surbiton,

Stephen is right. Wales never was a separate kingdom, nor even a united principality. Again, I would have thought that space could have been found for a wee dragon!

Martyn Davies, Arzal, France

It looks pretty cool to me :) Very clever way of reinforcing heritage. I hope they are still in circulation in 40 years time (as opposed to the Euro).

Larry, Stratford,

I think they are very modern, they represent the most innovative country in the world to me. good job and the fact that a 26 year-old person is their designer is just great. congrats.

Zita, B,

Wales is not represented on the Union Flag and now not on the new coins. Where do we stand in this modern day concept of the United Kingdom?
We are a Principality, so why doesn't the Prince of Wales use his influence, or is that another meaningless title?

Mike Cole, Hayling Island, HANTS

I think the new coins look great. They are moving in line with the changes in our country, and are sill holding on to our heritage. I don't think that getting rid of Britannia is a bad thing - she wasn't even British anyway!!

Joe, London,

Just another example of the purging of all things "British" in this country what with the removal of Brittannia. How long before we lose our currency for the dreaded euro?

Martin, Leeds,

I can't believe that the Royal Mint can commission new designs without Wales being represented. I am shocked. It's a disgrace.

David Batchelor, Sleaford, Lincolnshire

Rachel shouldn't balk at £35k. For the designs of all our currency, it's actually a pitiful amount. And if we get 40 years' use out of these, it's a small price to pay for some new designs.

Tony, London, UK

Like some of your other contributors I thought the designs were an April 1 joke at first. I don't like the way that each coin, apart from the one pound, has a fragment of a design. Having heard that new designs were on their way to symbolise 21st century Britain all I can says is they are depicting a mess.

David Lee, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

There is also no representation for Wales in the Royal Arms, as Wales was never a separate kingdom. That said,
maybe Matthew Dent wasn't only chosen for excellent design but also for his welsh credentials...

On the matter of £35,000 fee. I think this is very good value - especially when the logo for London 2012 cost £400k.

Stephen, Cambridge,

Personaly, i think that the new coin arangment is a good idea.

But i ask what will happen to the £2 coin?

charlie, ipswich, england

They'll be good for the Tate, but that's about all. Do they think people will keep them arranged neatly in shield shapes? Individually, they just look like the stamping press slipped.
Gordon Brown said they would represent modern Britain and he's right; they're a complete mess.

Andrew, Swindon, UK

I don't really care what's on the coins except - numbers please

david Kay, Vevey, Switzerland

I think these designs look fine. Not a design triumph, but I think people just enjoy criticising things.

The 2012 olympics logo though... now THAT was hideous.

Anyway, when was the last time you actually thought about the design of the coins in your pocket?

Diana, London,

Standard British reaction - it's new and unfamiliar, therefore I hate it. Predictable, if a little depressing. Anyone with any sense knows that within a month we will be used to these coins and won't even notice them any more. Sad for the designer, but there it is.

Jenny Latimer, Dundee,

Now I'll try to think of something positive to say about the coins.............mmmm'mmmmmmmm

Well maybe if one tries really hard...mmmmm'mmmmmm

Nothing positive to say about the coins and nothing good to say about the coins? Right.

What is left? Perhaps allow Big Ben to go electric and the Tower Bridge could be replaced with a modern structure?

Baaah humbug.

Rule Britannia indeed.

Frank Madigan, Capreol, Canada

We can only hope that this truly wretched idea is another nail in the coffin Nulab is building for itself.
In a way it seems to represent the the disjointed shambles that the Gordon Brown government has become. Perhaps they think such a ghastly idea will make us want to adopt the Euro.
Is it already too late to veto this latest lefty scheme to make Britain a laughing stock?

John W Meadows, Los Altos Hills, California

Rubbish - especially the ten an two pence!

Peter, Shropshire, UK

England is represented Ireland is represented and so is Scotland, but Wales are not! Why we had our own pound coin before! How can the royal mint forget Wales considering they have an office there.

Catrin , London ,

Could have done better myself, especially for £35,000.00. What about the £2.00 coin; couldn't his graphic design skills stretch to that?

S.R. Fenn, Barnet, Great Britain

The new designs are the result of one person’s determined effort to abandon almost all links with coin design.

The reverse of our current £2 coin, “symbolically representing technological development”, is a design that not one person in 10-thousand would understand. This has now met its match!
The absence of Britannia from the 50 pence has been excused by saying “this motif is not a constant of British coinage”. It has been present for the last 330 years so certainly can be regarded as constant.

The absence of numeric values is certainly a seriously regressive step. We only use words on the current £1 and £2 coins, but I consider that to be a serious flaw. What is wrong in showing a value with a £-sign as on postage stamps? Coins should be instantly recognised for their value. In the USA I am still confused as to which is 5c and 10c because the only indication of value is the word ‘nickel’ and ‘dime’.

Nul points, Royal Mint.

David Edwards, New Malden, Surrey

I think the new coins look rather good especially when compared to euro coins. Shame the opportunity to reduce the size of the 2p coin was passed up.

Trevor, Dublin, Ireland

Absolutely brilliant. I think this is an excellent decision, beautiful design, and a nice addition of modernism into the coinage of this country. Really great, I can't wait to see some of these around!

Charlie -

Charlie Styr, Whitchurch, Shropshire

I love the new design; I think the coins look beautiful. I look forward to having such well-designed items in my pocket!

Also, for those who worry about losing out on the heritage and tradition front - just think, we are creating a new bit of heritage. And I think it looks great.

Gabrielle, Oxford,

Sad that the nations have disappeared, but they will disappear anyway when we finally join the real world and get the euro : it will have the queens head on one side and the denomination clearly marked on the other side, so that everyone can read it, not only English speakers

So let’s hope that we get the euro sooner rather than later: real money that everyone in Europe is now familiar with.

Peter Goddard, Epsom, England, EU

As soon as I heard new designs were being released this week I instantly took a disliking to the idea; I thought they would be full of modern art and not at all in keeping with Britain's history and tradition.

I am so pleased with the new designs, they give a nod to modernity while keeping with our heritage - well done The Royal Mint!!

John, London, England

Thank you very much for those lion rump steaks on my coins.
I'm going to be cringing every time I take these monstrosities out of my pocket.
Hideous is the word.
Should there not have been an open debate and then a referendum on this matter of national importance?

Andrew, London, England

Surely the existing 7 separate, unique-to-coin designs are more effective at communicating 'heritage & national identity' than a one-size-fits-all image that's already in pretty wide circulation. The thinking behind this change seems to be
"Why not just reduce down thousands of years of history into a single symbol, for simplicity's sake?" Dumbing down at its absolute worst. I think it's sad.

And as for the 'puzzle' dimension... Sure. Putting coins together sounds like my idea of fun. For about a whole 5 minutes. Then what? Everyone's carrying around bits of jigsaw puzzle in their pocket... for what purpose? It's not as though a coin magically becomes worth an extra 10% of it's value when presented lined up with its next door neighbour. Pointless, stupid marketing gimmick - and surely money is
the one thing that doesn't require marketing.

Symptomatic of a pathetic obsession with Modernisation for its own sake - funded by my taxes!

If it ain't broke.. (and I'm 21, not an oldie)

Ellie, London,

I have to commend the Royal Mint for choosing this design - it was a brave decision, all too often things like this take the safer, easier option - which inevitably leads to an awful design.

mark, reading, uk

Amid all the ranting about how they shouldn't have changed the design, no one seems to have noticed that the 50p is upside down.

The current coin has a point to the top above Britannia's head on one side and above the Queen's on the other.

The photo above shows a flat top to the 50p so either the coat of arms side will be the other way up from the Queen, or the Queen will have to rotate 51 degrees clockwise ...

The new coins must be a reason for a revolution, even if it's just the monarch!

Chris, Manchester, England

These coins amply illustrate the situation concerning the current government, especially its financial policies -
Clueless, disjointed, ugly and totally in need of immediate replacement !

Derek Baxter, Ottery St Mary, Devon

I like the farthing, halfpenny, three-penny bit, sixpence, florin, half crown and crown and I like these new coins to. A sign of the times - new, fresh, novel and 'nice'.

drbob, LIVERPOOL, UK

Finally, some courage in our coinage.

richard, louth, lincolnshire

We don't need these nasty new coins. Its another half-baked idea probably instigated by Blair and Brown. Let's bring back public hangings and start with those two.

Alistair, Manama, Bahrain

Our current coinage is lovely as it is, there is no need to switch to these hideous designs. The new twenty pence is especially ugly compared to our current one.

Lix, Glasgow,

Really like them. Good stuff.

Ps no comments from Americans or Europeans, please, as your currency is lightweight in every sense of the word!

Paddy Pan, London,

I will actually buck the trend and say that they do look rather nice. I don't believe in change for changes sake, but I don't see a problem with modernising our currency in order to make it look better. It does nothing better or worse for our national identity, and it doesn't change the value of the currency.

That's one of the major problems with this country. People are frightened of change. Good job!

Philip Hardcastle, Wokingham, England

Never have I read such a collection of narrow-minded, Luddite, Philistine comments, which can be summed up as: 'They are different therefore we hate them'.
Compared to USA are Euro coinage, the coins are a great bit of design, which we will all very quickly get used to and maybe even get to love.
My only criticism is that without the values of the coins in large numerals on them, overseas visitors particularly may be confused than they are with the Euro for instance.

John Yeatman, High Wycombe, UK

I am a bit conflicted on the new coins. On one hand, I like the concept. I think it is actually ingenius. As one of her majesty's loyal subjects, I am proud to see Her Majesty's coat of arms on the back of the pieces. I am very dissapointed about the absence of Britannia, however. Britannia embodies The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. She is the fabric that holds are great kingdom together. If they are to remove her from the back of the 50p, then why not put her on the back of the 2 pound coin. It would be a very dignified spot for a very dignified lady.

Lastly, I was wondering why none of the coins have numerals on them? How are the millions of non-English speakers who enter the UK for business and pleasure each year, will be able to distinguish our money? I think this is major oversight on the part of the Royal Mint

George Peck, London,

The majority of the British population, if asked, would probably say that they would like "traditional" coins, such as the "wren" farthing, the "ship" halfpenny, Britannia, etc.

Imposing coins of a design which the majority of the population strongly dislike does establish an important polical principle - that is to say, that it is the Government, not the population, which knows best.

This can then be applied to other more important aspects of government, such as, for example, invading foreign nation states against international Law and the wishes of the majority of the British population.

Tony Mole, Enfield, Middlesex

They look dreadful. I would have preferred images of British wildlife, trees or flowers. A wasted opportunity.

Elliot Brassington, MANCHESTER,

It simply boggles the mind to consider, if this was the winner, what the other 3,999 entries were like.

R M, London, UK

Ridiculous!
And designed by a Welshman with no Welsh representation?!

Tony, Cambridgeshire, England

This is an outrage.

Tom Packham, Broadstairs, Kent

The coins are fantastic.

I don't pretend to be able to understand the people who have expressed a real dislike of these designs and have made extraordinary claims with regard to the changes.

Please rememeber, they are only coins for goodness sake!

Simon Cook, Strathaven, Scotland

I think its a brilliant design. Though it is a little silly if the Royal Coat of Arms doesn't represent all the countries in GB/UK. I'd prefer if it did myself.

But as long as you can still buy stuff with it (ie what its actually for) then it shouldn't be to much of a problem, as I have used the current coins all my life and can't quite remember what is on them, so think I will not be able to remember what bit of the shield is on which coin.

Emma, Cambridge,

When will the Royal Mint become Tata Mint?

John, London,

I think that the new coins are much like the 2012 Olympic logo. They are messy, confused and lack the clarity and definition of the old designs. And what happened to Wales? At a time we are considering the United Kingdom this fragmented mess is perhaps a recognition of the true state of the nation! How sad we will have to put up with this dreadful design for the next forty years or so! This has been an opportunity missed.

Alysoun Dungworth, Sheffield England,

Except perhaps for the £1 coin, the new coin images show GB for what it now is -all broken up!
What is it about this Government that it wants to downgrade everything and anything that is British?
Must we lose all out national pride and traditions?

T King, Windlesham,

They are pretty poor!
Presumably an attempt to "modernise" - so poor old Britannia ditched and we end up with bits of a shield instead.
No numerals, so presumably designed to make it difficult for foreign visitors! Hmm....

Steve Woodgate, Chelmsford, Essex

At least it is more innovative then the 2012 logo...

Bryan Marshall, London,

A nation rich in tradition sinks as it kills them off. Big Ben and Tower Bridge have been replaced by The Eye and City Hall. Sheme!

Bob Hall, New York, United States

First impressions - YUK!

They're a clever design that's been well-executed but the lack of symmetry is most displeasing.

And the coins don't form the royal shield when pieced together - they're the wrong shape!

Would be nice as a limited run but to think they're the main item for the next ten years or so is not welcome.

The lack of numerals will surely have impact on the partially sighted or those without a good grasp of English.

Martin, Brentwood, Essex, UK

I think these look great - very fresh, very reflective of the modern trend of imagery (which I like) and with a bit of imagination to boot. I take it we're not getting Euro coins any time soon, then? ;o)

Mark Thomas, Manchester, UK

If you don't like the new coins, give them to me. They look pretty good.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

What an utter waste of money! Why is new coinage neccessary? The American system has not changed in years, if they have no need to change theirs why do we have to?

Just like the British Olympic logo, another example of rubbish.
Derek, Grantham, England

Derek Knights, Grantham, Lincs

What predictable and hilarious comments!

40 years from now when the coins are changed again, everyone will complain about the new coins and go on and on and on about how this great british country has had the same beautiful british coins since 2008, it's an absolute travesty to ditch decades of tradition and britishness, this country is going straight to hell, blah blah blah blah blah bah....

These coins look really good and £35,000 is an absolute steal, as anybody who knows the first thing about design will tell you. Well done to the chap who designed them and well done to the mint for commissioning them.

It's a shame that so few people realise that progress and change are the greatest british traditions. And whinging, of course.

James Daly, London,

Caesar's coins...
Rarely have time to look over my change anymore. I just warm it in my pocket waiting for the government to demand it back.

Liam Ronan, Harrisburg, PA/USA

Get a life. Complain. Moan. Whinge. It's all the majority of Brits ever seem to do. Most of you had decided to hate the design before you saw it.
Personally I think they are a great design and £35,000 is a tiny amount to pay compared to the cost of corporate logos.
As for you Welsh - if you really want to be independent and lose the massive subsidies you get from the UK and European treasury, go ahead. You'll be back with your dragon's tail between your legs when you are bankrupt and destitute.

Nik, Bristol,

Euro. Now.

ben foster, penley,

I'm surprised that Nick from Bristol has noticed that the coins have been redesigned. After all, he seems not to have spotted that Wales WAS represented on the pound coin, both by symbol and text, before this latest insult. As for the merit of the design - a desperate attempt to......whatever! Not many people will have enough of the stuff to "play with it on the table" as Mr Dent pathetically imagines.

John, gerrards cross, bucks

I think the coins showing only part of the overall design are visually offensive, with as much artistic merit as an unmade bed or a pickled sheep.

Paul Franklin, Berkhamsted,

Wot, no 2 or 5 pound coins in the jigsaw?

spike, Estepona, Spain

You can tell that a country has become too rich for its own good when its money has become a toy for adults to play with. Maybe they should just put the coins into cereal boxes. That way people can gradually collect'em all and win a prize if they eat enough Wheaties. Does anyone remember when money was saved for a rainy day instead of being collected to make pretty pictures? Good grief.

James Geoffrey, Livonia, Michigan USA

i don't think Britannia should have been taken off the coinage
she is a symbol of GB and should have been left alone.
i like the look of the new design but Britannia should have had a place on at least one of them.

Anna Ryder, Canterbury, Kent

Personally, I think the new designs are great - the idea of linking the different designs into a unified whole is inspired. The grumblers probably haven't got over decimalisation.

Alex Baines, Manchester, UK

the new coinage does not represent wales anywhere.does this mean it is no longer part of the british isles? as the designer mr. dent comes from wales I would have thought he would have incorporated the welsh dragon somewhere on a coin.

wendy barrett, sandy,, england

I was incensed when seeing the designs of our new coins on the front of today's Times. What idiot approved these pointless images? It is patently obvious, even to an artistic philistine like me, that each of our coins should be a thing of aesthetic beauty, rather than carrying part of a larger design in the hope that millions of our citizens will have nothing better to do with their time than to sit around arranging the individual coins to form a master design. I'm afraid such a decision reflects the wave of national stupidity that is manifest in many aspects of British life at this time. They are appalling.

W Allan Jones, Bury St Edmunds, England

The Design is excellent, traditional in a modern sort of way.

You always have the same old usually suspects moaning 'don't like change' or 'what about Scotland & Wales'.

Well the old people will be dead soon and the Scots and Welsh its about time they had regular reminders where there subs come from and respect that fact.

Dan, London, England

Suddenly the 2012 Olympic logo looks sort of cohesive, deliberate and like it may have actually been designed by someone who got beyond a GCSE in Art & Design. These coins are as exciting, inspiring and reassuring as Euro coinage-no, I've looked again between my fingers and they're not as good! Perhaps it's just a fragment of my imagination but this collective metallic mess seems to perfectly reflect the national mood at the moment-resignation to a world where old assurances and certainties have been jetissoned in favour of 'fresh new thinking'.

Austen McRoberts, Salisbury, UK

The Royal Shield of Arms ? Aye, the English version.


Typical.

Scotsgait, Scotland,

When I first saw the new designs printed on the front page of The Times I thought it was some sort of a prank. Then I read on and realised it was for real.
This is appalling. That individual from The Royal Mint who gave his go-ahead for this joke to become our national coinage, should be sacked immediately.

Andrew, London, England

Disappointing that the chance has not been taken to abolish the 1p and 2p coins.

G Adamson, London,

What a wonderful idea coins without Britannia, all we need now is separate currency for Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Norfolk, ;perhaps the North and South divided at Watford? Of course they must be good, they are different aren't they?

David Nicholas, Narberth, Wales

This design is rather hideous. i just do not fancy them at all. i rather stick with the old design. This is another thing that will go on the tax payer. not fair. and in any case if uk joins the euro league will need to switch again and change the design again. no please hope this not happen. agree maybe of a change but not for this childish design. it looks rather tacky. I am pretty sure a 5 year old can come up with a better job. no offence here just my personal opinion. in any case this is better paid off than that of the olympics logo that it was worth loads of money for such a tacky thing. and then london complaint and they done nothing. so even if we complain nothing will be done. and they will carry on because they wil not care at all. so yes we will have the tacky coins we want them or not.

Mario Ortiz, london, england

Why was it necessary to change? What was wrong with the old ones?

Mike Wilkes, Brisbane, Queensland

Great Graphics, Impractical designs.

Will you have to sort your cash box to form a shield?

George Cuhaj, Iola, Wis. USA

Of course everybody will hate them. John Major may fondly remember brass threepenny bits, but they too caused an outcry when they replaced silver ones. A switch to base metal signalled the end of civilization and the novel non-circular shape confirmed the triumph of barbarism. The British people love their made up timeless threads of continuity and probably think that Danegeld was paid with the present coins rather than them being of only a couple of decades vintage (alloy and size have both changed recently, these new changes are trivial).

E Skelton, cardiff, Wales

People need to get a life. I think the coins are a modern take on an old look. Will we have the Euro within the next 40 years? I just wish they would change the Queen's likeness on notes as the image currently portrayed looks more like John McEnroe than the Queen.

Craig Earley, Salford, Lancashire,

Philip from Cambridge, thank you for your comments, but no need to worry for Scotland - we're the lion rampant on the tuppence (always generous you English folk). It looks like the Welsh should feel a little left out, though. The harp signifies Ireland, but the Welsh and N.Ireland may be able to take that. And, yes I do know that Ireland is not a part of Britain, unlike John from London who thinks Britain is the best country in the UK - go Britain wherever you are! Och anyway, we're happy up here as we get to print our own notes!

David Simpson, Edinburgh,

First and foremost, Neil (Edinburgh) , they ARE nice objects. There is a craft to them, a beautiful clever one that amounts to so much more than 'just arranging them on a tabletop'. Who's to say the shouldn't be design statements? Weren't the old designs, as, correct me if I'm wrong, someone designed them. We live in an age where I think we're ready to have elegantly designed coins (even if they do lack numeric indicators) and 'live with them'. Post-modern hell? What are you talking about? If you're scared of change just refuse to use these ones. What's so bad about coins changing (no pun intended) into something more than boring bits of metal with holly leaves and portcullises on them, why not embrace and reflect a more important part of British heritage?

Ethan -- I actually find £35, 000 a stunningly low pay for something that should stick with us for many years to come.

For people who claim to have a 'good taste' in design, the initial response has been uneccessarily stubborn.

Daniel Hamman, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

Please believe me when I say this is not a comment on the wonderful UK folks I've met and the beautiful countryside I've enjoyed when visiting. These are absolute rubbish. They reflect nothing so much about the UK as the pointless trend in simplistic coin "art" that is prevalent in coins from the Euro realm. I have despised the designs on many recent European coins: mere outlines of heads, bizarre "stylized" representations of things, etc. Now, sadly, the UK has joined the group.

"Modern" is just a synonym for "ugly" these days.

Sean, Salt Lake CIty, USA

My impression of these new coins is that it's a fad.

It's a neat idea, but why not put it on a t-shirt and sell them in Piccadilly, but not the coinage.

I have this feeling that in a year's time, after everyone has lined them up on their table and said 'cool', it will turn into a topic of silly conversation.

Ok, yes, together all the coins show the crest, but hold up one and it's a 'broken piece of the crest'. Maybe this is an eerie omen of what is currently happening to the UK....slowly breaking up into small pieces to be eaten by the beast of the EU?

Mark , Maidstone, Kent

I think these designs say it all - the last desperate attempt to declare a sense of 'Britishness' before the United Kingdom finally breaks up.

Roll on the arrival of the Euro and the end of the UK!

Peter Mechan, Edinburgh, Scotland

Rather antagonistic towards Wales and Scotland, but then perhaps it doesn't matter very much, as these coins will be got rid of in a few years time and we'll be shopping with something else hardly anybody likes - an ID card with a proximity chip magically taking pennies from our accounts as we drift like dazed plankton up and down the High Street. Still, maybe these new designs will hold some future interest to historians, coin collectors, autistic savants etc.

philip, cambridge,

These are a discrace. How dare the mint insult our country like this! The designs look as if they have been designed by a young child and are mis-strikes. Britannia and the crowned lion should remain as these are the most important elements of Britains society. The lion should remain as it represents Britain, the most important country in the UK. I hope these are withdrawn immediately.

John, London, England

I like the design on the one pound coin. It has symmetry and it has the appearance of a valuable coin.
I believe that this design should be applied to the other "silver" coin values as well.
I see no reason to change the existing well loved designs on the one penny and two pence coins.
Is it too late to abandon the cut up royal coat of arms?

John Howard Norfolk, Tiverton, UK

Why do i get the impression everyone commenting on the design of these coins is over 40? People need a reality check, as shop fronts of our high street chains are getting re designed with bright colours / funky designs and we should embrace change. Really they should represent youth anyways because us students have the most disposable income and use them the most!

Alex Holman, Sutton, England

Why do i get the impression everyone commenting on the design of these coins is over 40? People need a reality check, as shop fronts of our high street chains are getting re designed with bright colours / funky designs and we should embrace change. Really they should represent youth anyways because us students have the most disposable income and use them the most!

Alex Holman, Sutton, England

They're OK, but why do they need to change them? At least it isn't as bad as the Olympics logo though...

Calum Macnab, Scotland,

Symbolically, this represents the erosion of the purchasing power
since decimalisation in 1971, hence each coin is one sixth of the whole pound.
The next design will have just the lion's paw......waving farewell like the two lions on the 10p.

Lewis Footring, Wivenhoe Essex, England

I really like them they are good fun. Anyone who doesn't like them feel free to send them my way :)

Wendy Sugg, Manchester,

Horrible!
Is this a ruse to make it so indistinguishable and awful that the British will naturally ask for the Euro?

M, Milwaukee, USA

Not as nice as our Euros ;)

Kurt, Bilbao, Spain

Well I like them! Clearly some people can't accept change, excusing the pun. Someone mentioned the fact they have no numbers on - American coins don't have numbers on and no one seems to complain about them. I was worried they'd show something to reflect 'multi-cultural Britain', but I'm relieved to see they have done something as British as you can get - the Royal Family crest.

Ryan, Shepshed, UK

The 1£ coin is fine, but ALL the others are appaulingly inadequate, they look like the work of a child or worse, they are simply not acceptable. What on earth does this travesty in design, say for British Industry?
Any one of us could do better, this important work should have been entrusted to The College of Heralds, at least they would take a responsible attitude to our Royal Heraldic Heritage, this is simply preposterous!

Clive Burghard LANCING, LANCING, ENGLAND

These so-called 'designs' are an absolute disgrace and should be withdrawn immediately.
If this is the best we can do, considering the examples of the past, then the coins currently in production should be retained.
These 'designs' are an insult to both Her Majesty, and to the British People, whilst we the people are getting used to being insulted on a daily basis by our Government, there is no excuse for insulting our Sovereign.

Clive Burghard LANCING, LANCING, ENGLAND

I was dreading the unveiling of the new coin designs because of new Labour's recent history of dismantling and destroying most of Britain's ancient symbols and traditions. But today I was very pleasantly surprised; I like the new coins and might even go so far as to say I prefer them to the old. We should stop grumbling about them: at least it's not the Euro!

Adrian Clark, London,

These 'designs' are awful, utterly infantile in concept, and most certainly not acceptable at all under any pretext.
If no-one can design anything better than this we may as well give up trying to design anything at all. If I could not do better than this, I would not bother getting out of bed in the morning, how inept, I can scarcely believe my eyes.

Clive Burghard LANCING, LANCING, ENGLAND

WOW
i think the new coins are HOT!!!
just what we needed, lets just hope we dont ruine our coins by introducing the euro because that would be a big mistake!!!!!!!!!!!!!

james, Hucknall,

I really hate them violently and am actually quite depressed that I may have to live with them for the rest of my life. It's a good piece of design and a clever idea which has been well executed, but after the novelty wears off (about 2 weeks?) they will have no appeal whatsoever, and we will be stuck with them for, what, 40 years?? Coins shouldn't be design statements or even pieces of art, they should first and foremost be PLEASANT OBJECTS. All of us have to live with them every single day of our lives. They should be self-contained and have presence and personality. One of the worst aspects of the design is that there is no individuality to each coin, they are all part of the same image. There is no craft to them, they are not beautiful. As each represents only part of an image it is deprived of its own integrity as a physical object. These are ghost-coins for a dead, post-modern hell.

Neil , Edinburgh,

£35,000 for a design that has already existed on some pound coins for years? An absolute joke and as for the designer he simply not in touch with reality. How often are people going to both to arrange them on their tabletop? Maybe once if at all? Individually (let's face it few people have a complete set of the various denominations) they look awful they are no longer works of 'art' (as Mr. Stafford says) in their own right.

Ethan, Southampton, UK

So we're up for change.
I'll bet no-one would turn their noses up at a wheelbarrow full of them.

Linda Fletcher, Tameside, Lancashire

How on earth will all the foreigners flooding into the country know what they are worth if there are no numbers on them? Perhaps the government could set up a massive department complete with its own minister to look into the issue, hopefully spending lots of these new coins they are going to get from us in tax.

Ian, Bristol,

My first impression on seeing these new designs, released on April 2nd, was -

"Surely, they are a day late in their joke?"

Charles Daniels, Oxford, UK

we i'am going to start collecting the old coins gota be worth money in a couple of years time

james mitchell , kentish town, london

Rubbish! Wales a principality - maybe in English eyes it is. Its like saying Tibet isnt a country and neither was India when under British rule. To me, Wales is a country. No British Imperialstic twdaddle can change that.
Good to have the Irish harp there too - although it wont be part of 'Britain' much longer!!!

F.L, Glasgow, Scotland

It's as well we are becoming a cashless society because no one will need to look at them. What a wasted opportunity!

KWC, Elland W Yorks, UK

They are coins? Who cares, I think its great someone has put effort into somthing to make them. Rather than everyone in the UK just moaning about somthing.

People need to relax and concentrate on more important issues.

Nicholas, Rhondda, Wales

Not bad, but does this mean £2 coins are going to disappear?

Also we should replace the Queen on the back with something cool. We'd be the envy of countries worldwide.

Mkip, Pallet,

What on earth was wrong with the old designs?!

James E. Petts, Burnham, England

Courtesy of "Bottler & Co.UK", we now find ourselves living in the "Disunited Kingdom of Great Britain" with it's rapidly fragmenting society, how more graphically could you illustrate this, than with this deeply unimaginative and unattractive "jig-saw" coinage which will utterly fail to instil any sense of national pride at home or abroad. As usual, with this incompetent bunch, an opportunity to raise our prestige completely missed!! Well done Gord.

Milo, Uckfield, UK

[quote]
They don't have the value in numbers? How are non English people supose to know their value?

[/quote]

All of the new coins are clearly marked with ther value.

Paul Duchin, London, UK

The British will whinge about anything. Nothing that anyone could have put forward would have satisfied you. I honestly believe that some search newspaper sites looking for something to complain about.

The coins are interesting and unique, it is a new idea.

As far as the price goes, 35,000 is a normal amount to pay for graphic work that is going to be in such wide circulation.

This is not Europe's fault

This is not new labours fault

This is not a comment on Wale's place in the UK. The Welsh need to stop being so sensitive.

Stop moaning about what is printed on the coins and worry more about how the government spends them.

Dave, Woking,

You'll never catch up the civilised world if keep banging on Brussels and Euro. You lost, stupid !

Fred Nailer, Miami, USA

I like them. It is an original idea that actually makes some sense.

Well Done!

Good point about the values being on them though.

Derek Horton, Southampton,

Is this an attempt to get the UK to switch to the Euro by virtue of having our own money look so awful that we hate it enough to want to get rid of it?

Sarah, Cambridge,

I like them. I'm usually a traditionalist but these are smart and modern and simple - just what you want for coinage.

JW, Boston, UK

What's wrong with the current ones?

quapstealer, London, UK

Keith Hodgkin, Manchester, England
I do not know what € (euro) you are talking about as being " worth more than sterling". 1 euro as of today 2/04/08) was worth about £0.788 or thereabouts. As to "more stable" ? If one goes down and the other up, which one is more stable? The Euro has been down for years as I know to my cost.

You clearly want to hand over to Brussels and that incompetent, corrupt organisation that cannot even gets its annual accounts passed by the auditor for 13 YEARS!
Once a country can no longer control its own finances really is finished. Just what Brown wants.

M. Cawdery, Portadown, Co. UK, EU

They don't have the value in numbers? How are non English people supose to know their value?

Paul BG, Bath, UK

Cost: £35,000. Why didn't this chap design the Olympic logo...

Jennifer, London Town,

I agree, it's a humiliation and a bad joke. What a pathetic, meagre, uncreative, lazy effort. I shall feel ashamed to carry these coins.

Graham Asher, Kensworth,

Oh great.... Avant-garde YBA art on the coins of the realm.

Why do the people at the Mint want to be seen to be so trendy ? That's the trouble with fashion - it's ephemeral.

In a few years time the next Governor of the Mint will be thinking "Now why were we so foolish as to do that ? How tacky they look now".

Britannia, a portcullis, PoW feathers, thistles, leeks etc might be traditional but they have never seemed dated, as I predict these new ones soon will.

Anyway not to worry. A coin has a life of decades so we will not need many new ones for the first year. And if they look naff in a few years then we can drop them and go back to the old design.

A.Kirk, Manchester,

Typical of the English view of the "United" Kingdom that they'd choose the English Royal Arms for the coins. I suppose we should be grateful that Scotland even gets a look in (unlike Wales). Or perhaps there's going to be a set of coins using the Scottish Royal Arms.

No, I don't think so either.

Alastair, Amsterdam,

Great integration - excellent designs - and very well-worth the money...! In fact, a pittance compared to the £600,000 British Airways paid, 10 years ago, to that clown who talked them into accepting his uncoordinated dog's-breakfast of coloured paint for the tails of their entire fleet...! Meanwhile - where do you get to hear about these public design competitions...? - like the London Olympics...? I'd have liked to have a stab at this one but I only heard about it today - when it's all done and dusted...!!!

John Jay, Walton on Thames, UK

I'd rather have a pocketful of Euros. It's a more stable currency; it's worth more than sterling and their notes and coins still manage to include a depiction of the whole of the UK, unlike our own currency!

Keith Hodgkin, Manchester, England

I really like them, it's a really creative idea!

Seb, London ,

I love the new designs. Bravo ! Excellent job by the Welshman!

Chris , London, England

Wales is a principality not a country.

Ed, London, England

@Al, Wales: Not a county, a principality.

Joey, Manchester,

Al, you're right that Wales should be represented, it played a very important part in making Great Britain.
It was designed by a bloke from Wales though, how can he get 35K when he's forgotten an important part of the picture!

Anon, Oxford, Oxfordshire

To those who are not educated in this sort of thing, England and Wales both have the three lions- take a look at the royal standard......... the red background with yellow lions is England (top right) and wales (bottom left), Scotland is top right with a yellow background and Ireland has a blue background with a yellow harp...........!!!

John, London, UK

Al fair point, funny though how a welsh man designed it and forgot wales.

Dave, UK,

Al, Cardiff, Wales

Hate to tell you but Wales is not a kingdom.
It is a principality. You can thank longshanks and his kin for that one.

Niall, Edinburgh,

When I heard this on the radio I thought "Doesn't sound as bad as it could have been". Having had a look at it the designs are awful. I'm looking forward to seeing a lion's backside every time I take out a 20p piece or an abstract piece of harp and a paw on the penny.

Still at least when you put them together they look good. What's that you say? Circles don't tesselate? Besides, how often do you look at the reverse of more than one coin. Just another bright idea that will hopefully be despatched as rapidly as that "Consignia" rebrand.

Matt P, Grantham, UK

Racheal Tosun - What world do you live in? When a cup of coffee costs, £2 a new car around £20000 I would say £35000 for designing the coins used by 60 million(ish) people in one of the worlds biggest economies is pretty good value for money. What would you have paid?

Jeremy, london, England

Wales is not on the coins because it is not on the Royal Standard. It is not on the Royal Standard because it was not a sovereign nation but 'only' a principality.

Maybe you could blame your Welsh forebears for not fighting hard enough to unite the country as a Kingdom before it was conquered by Edward?

dominic, Teddington, Middlesex, UK

Good news !, At long last we get new designs, on our Coins, that reflects our current Government -
You never get the whole story in one go !.

Ian Warren, Derby, Derbyshire

I like the new design. I think people will have fun working out what the overall design is and how the coins fit together to make it.

Luke, London, UK

Wales didn't appear on the coins before, nor did England, Ireland or Scotland individually so where is the problem? The coins represent a royal shield, not any specific country!

Nick, Bristol, UK

Dont worry she is coming back along with the Post Office the Electricity, Gas, Railways, Water, BAA and all the other things that we owned and were swindled out of , who will get it for us, the BNP.

E pryor, Gravesend, Uk

What are people from abroad going to think when they come to Britain and see only parts of a picture on a coin. Its humiliation.

Grant, Langholm, Scotalnd

Al - I agree it's unfair, but it's not the Mint's fault. Write to the Queen and see if you can get her to replace one of the two copies of England's three lions with a dragon.

Andrew Gallagher, Galway,

£35000!!! That's nearly as good value of taxpayers money as £4000 on taxis and the Scottish Parliament colossal overspend, oh and Northern Rock...

Rachel Tosun, Edinburgh,

So, if there is no Wales on the coins, how does that represent a "United Kingdom" ?? Or is Wales still seen as a county of England?

Al, Cardiff, Wales