Should anyone be interested, here's a link to the Royal Mint's website and the new designs for British coins.

Pretty, non?

complaints are flooding in that Britannia no longer rules the waves.

I think they're very 21st Century. Are they €uro coins though?

Not feeling it.

It's a plot against British expats to confuse us when we go home and render cash in our drawers as worthless.

The small 50p already threw me the first time I was given it in change - I handed it back. Next time in Blighty I'll be even more lost...

looking at all the coins put together they look quite nice, but individually they may look a bit err...incomplete. As if they ran out of money to finish the design

Knocks the London Olympics logo into a cocked hat...

Personally I think that they are very attractive. It seems a shame that the £2 coin is not included in the same design scheme though.

looks rubbish, lets have Britannia back.

I like them. There's something in the design which reminds me of ancient, stamped coins, but with a fresh feel. I want to touch the 5p coin...

All very National Treasure and da Vinci Code-esque!

When does it become legal tender?

Very modern. Very fragmented. A bit like the Union post devolution. Admittedly it puts two fingers up to Brussels as a confident expression that that Sterling has a future long enough to warrant issue worthwhile. It might be a costly recall though when Scotland goes European and adopts the Euro.

Now if we can get rid of the Queens head on the back and engrave the words EURO and a map of Europe with 12 stars around it I think we might be half way to acheiving something

I was reading on-line last night and aparantly the royal mint do not want to change the 2 quid coin as it's relatively new.

I don't like the asymmetric designs that much. Will they leave the backside unchanged or is this yet to be announced?

maybe I'm one of the few that actually likes them, think its refreshing modern and I love the way they sit together to make up the whole image

I like the design too if I'm honest

That reminds me of a conversation in a financial institution I worked in over a decade ago: "If Europe would agree to call the common currency "the pound", the UK would agree to join it".

Love or hate the new coins, at least they look as though they have been designed by a professional!

Totally agree with Nev, but not to sure about the design, I don’t think I like to think that my Country was worth tuppence!! Although I agree for what it stands for.

Read the website link...

"The new designs have been chosen via an open competition which was widely publicised in the national media in August 2005 and attracted 4,000 entries. The winning designer is 26-year-old Matthew Dent, originally from Bangor who now lives and works in London as a graphic designer."

not sure he got his graphic designer job on the back of this competition but...!?!

PS I still like the concept that you need all of them to get the whole design.