Publishers of Numismatic News magazine, Krause Publications, has revealed the candidates for the 2016 Coin of the Year in each of the ten categories. Meant to represent achievements in design and marketing from the world’s mints and central banks, the awards are eagerly awaited, and hotly debated, no surprise given the breadth of choice and the closed nature of the nominations.
Due to be presented at next years World Money Fair in Berlin at the end of January, prior to that the coins will be reviewed by a worldwide panel of judges comprised of mint and museum officials, journalists and individual experts. They’ll choose a winner in each of the 10 individual categories. A second round of balloting will select the Coin of the Year from among the category winners. The coins are all from the 2014 calendar year.
There are 100 nominations, from 44 countries. These compete in the ten categories below, which each category getting its own winner. The ten winners then compete for the overall title of Coin of the Year. There’s always plenty of discussion on what should and shouldn’t be nominated, that’s the nature of this kind of award in any field, but it’s fair to say there are some worthy nominations in the mix again. Last years winner, Klimt from the Austrian Mint, is up again for the 2014 entrant in the series and Canada has an amazing 12 nominations overall, represented in all but one category.
However, we reckon much of the discussion will centre on what hasn’t been included. First and foremost amongst these is the utterly sublime proof 2014 Britannia from the Royal Mint. Designed by Jody Clark, we raved about this immediately on release, and almost everybody else did straight after, culminating in some quite hefty secondary prices. It absolutely amazes that this coin hasn’t been included in any category this year. We’d go as far as to say the decision makes a mockery of the awards. Equally mystifying is the omission of the beautiful Mineral Arts: Taj Mahal coin and any number of coins in the art-architectural genre. We’re sure you can add many of you’re own, but for us, these two designs in particular garnered almost universal praise and have been ignored. Baffling.
COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST NOMINATIONS
In the best silver – you have Tapiovaara in for Ireland instead of Finland.
You need to insert in its place for Ireland (and here is where upon discovering, i almost choked on my lunch) the abysmal “John Philip Holland submarine”.
Source: By Connor Falk, Coin of the Year Awards Coordinator
October 07, 2015
Under Best Silver Coin: Ireland – KM# 83, 15 Euro, 100th anniversary of death of John Phillip Holland, Submarine Inventor
http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=28099
What confuses me at the moment, is why Pobjoy mint themselves don’t seem to acknowledge the nomination?
They are the ones who banged out that coin (it wouldn’t seem right to use the term “minted” in this case)
http://www.pobjoy.com/news-events/pobjoy-mint-coins-announced-as-nominees-for-the-2016-coin-of-the-year-award
If there was ever proof that the Krause nominations are now a complete joke, it’s that;
(a) the Pobjoy produced Holland Submarine (in mangled proof condition) ever got nominated, and
(b) the 2014 proof britannia didn’t
Thanks Ian, fixed now. All that cut & paste does my head in after a while. Very disappointing about the Holland Submarine coin. I quite liked the look of that one but seems I might have dodged a bullet.
I mentioned the Britannia proof to them as well as several others that were not nominated. Also, Krause publishes Numismatic News, World Coin News, etc., not the Numismatist, which is the American Numismatic Association’s monthly magazine. I write a monthly column there (the Numismatist) on world coins.
Thanks Louis, fixed now.
I know everyone has their opinion on what coins should be included, but leaving out the stunning Britannia really stood out as a ridiculous oversight. It qualifies for several categories as well, but doesn’t even get mentioned. Really begins to question the relevance of the nomination process when something as universally liked as this gets passed over.
Mike, I agree. And if the Odin coin is not nominated next year, that would also be odd. Seems they don’t go in for the larger, more luxurious coins.