Are So-Called Granny Bait Coins a Sign that Australia is Going Down the Toilet?

[Fulvio]

As long as we keep buying trash at ever-increasing prices, they'll keep milking us. The only way to express displeasure is to stop playing the game. Once the sales fall, they might just reconsider their path.

Yeah, I know... I'm dreaming...

[purplepennyhunter]

That is a great comparison. ........ it's not art or creativity ...

Those coloured coins are not art they are a coin sized computer graphic. But I need them to keep my dollar collection complete.

On the other hand Wojciech's Kangaroo at Sunset and many of his other designs are sculptured coin engravers masterpieces worthy of my collection.

[echidna]

NCLT issues are produced with one goal in mind - to make profit.
You could argue that some have artistic merit etc.
But the general blurb that these coins are great collectables is false in my opinion.
There are exceptions but most are only worth the intrinsic value when the time comes to sell.

The people who produce this rubbish are in it for the money and don't understand what real coin collecting is all about.
I believe that numismatics is about people and history not the actual coins.
Certainly not bells and whistles.
I consider these "coins" an insult.

Is Australia and Western civilisation in decline ?
Yes.
Are these crappy coins a symptom of this decline ?
I'd say its more about greed.

[trout]

Point taken. Some nice designs still appear. Pity they don't try harder with circulation issues too.

Nah that would make it too easy for you mob living under the bridge's

[acrellin]

OK, now this is a subject that really yanks my chain, and one that I think anyone who is involved with coins for any degree of time considers at one stage or another. I've had conversations with staff at both of our coin issuing authorities about just this, and unfortunately it often falls on deaf ears. Not always, but often.

The staff at both mints have targets they need to meet, just as the rest of us do in our working lives. Sales = an ongoing job. The lowest (?) common denominator, or put more politely, accessible designs are a low risk way of selling coins.

It's unfortunate that our designers aren't given the opportunity to run with a vanity project every now and then, one that challenges conventions or their own design abilities. Read the story about the 1907 high relief $20 for an idea of how someone in minting authority rebelled against the standard, a now timeless design. Anyone want to run for the President of Australia?

The fact that this question has been posed answers itself I think - despite the fact we have coins with colour / holograms or even with lights in their freaking boxes (that one really flipped me, I thought it was cool just for the audacity of it), I agree many of the ideas behind our current NCLT coins are stale. Not because they aren't innovative, but because they seem to be devoid of risk.

I nominate the 2008 (?) UK series of circulating coin designs as my favourite designs in the past few years, anything in high relief by the Perth Mint, and a few others. I like the idea of hobo nickels as a way of reclaiming the artistry of circulating coinage - some of them need to be seen to be believed.

You only need to flick through a Krause 1901~ catalogue to see what other countries are up to, it's a shame that innovation in design is disregarded as a path to commercial success by our issuing authorities at the moment, but there you have it.

Which current designs do y'all like?

[trout]

OK, now this is a subject that really yanks my chain, and one that I think anyone who is involved with coins for any degree of time considers at one stage or another. I've had conversations with staff at both of our coin issuing authorities about just this, and unfortunately it often falls on deaf ears. Not always, but often.

The staff at both mints have targets they need to meet, just as the rest of us do in our working lives. Sales = an ongoing job. The lowest (?) common denominator, or put more politely, accessible designs are a low risk way of selling coins.

It's unfortunate that our designers aren't given the opportunity to run with a vanity project every now and then, one that challenges conventions or their own design abilities. Read the story about the 1907 high relief $20 for an idea of how someone in minting authority rebelled against the standard, a now timeless design. Anyone want to run for the President of Australia?

The fact that this question has been posed answers itself I think - despite the fact we have coins with colour / holograms or even with lights in their freaking boxes (that one really flipped me, I thought it was cool just for the audacity of it), I agree many of the ideas behind our current NCLT coins are stale. Not because they aren't innovative, but because they seem to be devoid of risk.

I nominate the 2008 (?) UK series of circulating coin designs as my favourite designs in the past few years, anything in high relief by the Perth Mint, and a few others. I like the idea of hobo nickels as a way of reclaiming the artistry of circulating coinage - some of them need to be seen to be believed.

You only need to flick through a Krause 1901~ catalogue to see what other countries are up to, it's a shame that innovation in design is disregarded as a path to commercial success by our issuing authorities at the moment, but there you have it.

Which current designs do y'all like?

The Holy dollar $1 design with the small head obverse with denticals dose it for Me
Looks and feels like a real coin

[trout]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the design on this latest silver proof NCLT (Grannybait)coin

[Mister T]

Are these crappy coins a symptom of this decline ?
I'd say its more about greed.

I agree, it's more the theme than the design that shifts these coins.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the design on this latest silver proof NCLT (Grannybait)coin

Absolutely not, it's quite a nice design.
I think that majority of the circulating/non-circulating coin but circulating denomination designs are decent.

[robbiegal]

I think that granny bait is a terrible term for these coins

As if grannies are dumb

I'm a grannie

and i'm no dummy (well, most of the time ha ha)

[trout]

I think that granny bait is a terrible term for these coins

I much prefer it than "Poppybait"
And I have to confess that I have Most of the silver "grannybait" coin sets in my collection
Anyway I just love the heft and feel of large silver coins especially the $5 Silver coins