New UK coinage

I am unenthusiastic - the design scheme is more Anglocentric than any other in the past century (the royal arms change when the monarch is in Scotland, but there is no 'Scottish' set, as in the days when there were 'English' and 'Scottish' shillings in circulation throughout the UK) and Welsh and Northern Irish symbols are also absent. In their attempt to be inclusive, the Royal Mint have given an impression of ignorance of the multiple strands of 'traditional' - their justification, as explained by an unimpressive Sir Christopher Frayling, chairman of the mint's advisory committee, just now on BBC News 24 - identity within the United Kingdom.

The new designs can be seen here at The Times.

Edit: Perhaps I'm overreacting. The shield has been cut in a way that tries not to overrepresent England and complements the harp of the kingdom of Ireland (breaking with recent coinage tradition which has attempted to develop emblems specifically connected to Northern Ireland, such as the flax plant); but I'm still not greatly happy.