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HISTORIAN PANS MAGNA CARTA COIN DESIGNPabitra Saha forwarded this article about an historian's gripe with the new Magna Carta coin from the Royal Mint. Thanks.
-Editor
 The design of a commemorative coin depicting King John at Runnymede Meadows holding a quill has been labelled a "schoolboy error" by a medieval historian. The 800th Anniversary of Magna Carta 2015 UK £2 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin, by The Royal Mint, has been designed by an experienced coinage artist, John Bergdahl, and is struck with the king flanked by a bishop and a baron. But historian Marc Morris has said the scene is historically wrong and has published a more accurate version of the event using Playmobil figures. “To depict King John holding a quill is simply a schoolboy error,” said Marc Morris, author of King John: Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta. “Medieval kings did not authenticate documents by signing them, they did it by sealing them - or rather by getting one of their officials to do it for them. “All the pen in John’s hand symbolises is ignorance of this basic fact.” The article pictures the marketing material for the coin (above), and at first I thought his hissy fit was about that, rather than
the coin itself. But looking at the obverse, the King does appear to be holding a scroll and a pen. The Mint responded by claiming the pen was
"symbolic". -Editor
The Royal Mint has a long tradition of marking significant moments in history and has been making currency for the Kings and Queens of the country for over 1,100 years. A spokesman defended the piece, claiming it was symbolic rather than factual. They said: “The design is symbolic of King John’s acceptance of the Magna Carta, it is not intended to be interpreted as a literal account of what actually occurred. “The design is in fact inspired by King John’s royal seal, the very seal used on the Magna Carta.” “I wanted to include the figures who would have been key players in the formation of the Magna Carta at Runnymede,” said the artist. “I was influenced by the art of the medieval period, which was quite uncomplicated and crude, and the ornate cornice and rose carvings echo the architecture of the era reflecting the time the Magna Carta was created. “The inscription uses medieval-style font that surrounds the design as the inscription on King John’s royal seal did in the middle ages.” I like the coin and its medieval styling. I'm not so sure I like the pen now, but on the other hand, I'm not sure depicting
someone affixing a seal to the document would be easy, and it might just make a mess of the simple design. What do readers think? -Editor
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THE BOOK BAZARREWayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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