The Mysteries of Money

This week I was startled to receive in change from one of the tatooed trollops who abound around here two very odd coins. My usual custom is at once to discard any objectionable or incomprehensible item I am given, but before doing that I would like to point out to our members how odd these coins are, how odd in any number of ways:

1) Her Majesty's image is reduced to a tiny button, whereas on every coin I have ever before encountered Her head occupies the whole of the obverse, just as it does in Britain (and believe it or not it is the obverse we are looking at).

2) Below Her Majesty there is the image of a sheep, twice the size of her, also in a circle, and having a star on either side. The name of a "country" stands above the sheep, within the sheep's circle. The significance of the sheep and the stars is a mystery, if indeed they have one. Most garments must be made of synthetic material in Japan must they not.

3) The two lesser circles described come both within a larger circle, and seeing an inscription there of some kind it was there I sought an explanation. So, on the left stands "Elizabeth Eleven", without any explanation of who she is or why she should appear in a button on these coins. Years ago coins would carry an indication such as "Rex Dei gratia" (or at least an abbreviation thereof), but here nothing. "Elizabeth" might be the name of the sheep for all we are told. Very subversive what.

4) Then on the right hand side stands the name of a "country" for the second time, although there is no reason at all why it should be repeated. Next to it appears "2016", which is the first - and as it turns out only - sensible clean-limbed and sane item on the whole coin.

5) If we turn to the legend at the bottom we find "Fifty Years". Fifty years of sheep? No. Fifty years of Her Majesty? No. Fifty years of the antipodes? No. Fifty years of "marriage"? No. It is really an impossible poser to find anything significant that happened in 1966. I can remember what I did in 1966 but see no need to retail it here.

6) Well let us turn the coin over in our search for enlightenment and look at its reverse. All we find is two unspeakable native animals clutching a bogus coat of arms, and the numeral "50". Presumably it is those fifty years again. Beyond that, nothing.

Oh well, Plato would never have taken them. Into the bin they go . . . .