Time to change the definition of "coin rotation"
 

Since the Euro people have now accepted the inevitable
and started having coins with zero rotation between
obverse and reverse, instead of the ugly and
counterintuitive 180 degrees, that leaves the US
as the only major country with that silly system.
I suggest therefore that, in view of the fact that
probably 90 percent of the world's population sees
zero rotation, this should henceforth be called
COIN ROTATION, and the wacky 180 degree system
can be called something else.
By the way, what is the origin of the 180 degree thing?

From Serenus Zeitblom:

what is the origin of the 180 degrees rotation between obverse and reverse of
US coins

Officially, the Treasury Department says that the reason this was started is
unknown; but the legend says it was originally done in colonial times to
provide a difference between coins and military medals of honor ... which were
traditionally "zero rotated".

8-l


Coin Saver

Serenus Zeitblom wrote:

Since the Euro people have now accepted the inevitable and started having
coins with zero rotation between obverse and reverse, instead of the ugly
and counterintuitive 180 degrees, that leaves the US as the only major
country with that silly system.

Whether you call the "coin" alignment or "medal" alignment silly is a
matter of personal preference. Being German, I am used to the proper g
way of doing it anyway - with our coins we have used for many years what
Americans call medal alignment.

Around here, by the way, coin alignment used to be called "Französische
Prägung" (French a.) while medal alignment was "Deutsche Prägung"
(German a.). Obsolete terms now ... French and Italian coins used to be
"coin" strike until the euro came; the UK uses "medal" strike, and most
other countries do indeed do so, too.

I suggest therefore that, in view of the fact that probably 90 percent of
the world's population sees zero rotation, this should henceforth be
called COIN ROTATION, and the wacky 180 degree system can be called
something else.

Well, coin alignment and medal alignment are American terms, and
perfectly appropriate for US coinage. So why not keep them as long as
they are appropriate?

By the way, what is the origin of the 180 degree thing?

No idea if any political reasons were involved in the case of the US.
But there is a more general, practical one. Hold a US coin in your hand,
properly orientated, and turn it over, using one hand, so that the other
side is properly orientated. Now do the same thing with a "medal
alignment" coin. Guess that most people will find the former to be
easier.

From a collector's point of view, though, I think that coin sets look
much nicer if the coins have that "medal alignment" :-)

Christian

Serenus Zeitblom wrote:
Since the Euro people have now accepted the inevitable
and started having coins with zero rotation between
obverse and reverse, instead of the ugly and
counterintuitive 180 degrees,

It only looks strange when coins are in album pages.
On loose coins one way is just as good as the other.

that leaves the US
as the only major country with that silly system.

It depends on your definition of a major country.
Unless theyv'e changed pretty recently, Mexico
and Peru use coin rotation. I'm pretty sure there
are others.

I suggest therefore that, in view of the fact that
probably 90 percent of the world's population sees
zero rotation, this should henceforth be called
COIN ROTATION, and the wacky 180 degree system
can be called something else.

It's an established term. Collectors in other English
speaking countries understand the terms even if hardly
any of their recent coins use coin rotation.

By the way, what is the origin of the 180 degree thing?

I think it was originally to make sure that the dates
were well struck. On British silver & gold coins from
the late 17th and the 18th century, the date of the coin
was at the top of the reverse so arranging the dies
this way helped to ensure a well struck date.

Peter.
---

"Christian Feldhaus" wrote in message
...
Serenus Zeitblom wrote:

Since the Euro people have now accepted the inevitable and started
having
coins with zero rotation between obverse and reverse, instead of the
ugly
and counterintuitive 180 degrees, that leaves the US as the only major
country with that silly system.

Whether you call the "coin" alignment or "medal" alignment silly is a
matter of personal preference. Being German, I am used to the proper g
way of doing it anyway - with our coins we have used for many years what
Americans call medal alignment.

Around here, by the way, coin alignment used to be called "Französische
Prägung" (French a.) while medal alignment was "Deutsche Prägung"
(German a.). Obsolete terms now ... French and Italian coins used to be
"coin" strike until the euro came; the UK uses "medal" strike, and most
other countries do indeed do so, too.

I suggest therefore that, in view of the fact that probably 90 percent
of
the world's population sees zero rotation, this should henceforth be
called COIN ROTATION, and the wacky 180 degree system can be called
something else.

Well, coin alignment and medal alignment are American terms, and
perfectly appropriate for US coinage. So why not keep them as long as
they are appropriate?

By the way, what is the origin of the 180 degree thing?

No idea if any political reasons were involved in the case of the US.
But there is a more general, practical one. Hold a US coin in your hand,
properly orientated, and turn it over, using one hand, so that the other
side is properly orientated. Now do the same thing with a "medal
alignment" coin. Guess that most people will find the former to be
easier.

From a collector's point of view, though, I think that coin sets look
much nicer if the coins have that "medal alignment" :-)

Depends on your personal preferences. In many of the albums and sets I
have, especially my one-a-year sets, I have the coins inserted with the top
of the head pointing to the binder. When you flip up to the next page, you
see the tails of the coins on the previous page also upright. So it is just
a matter of how you want to view things. Of course, I have these in plain
albums which I dated myself using a label printer available at any office
supply place.


--
Richard
ANA# R-176949
http://home.netcom.com/~richlh

Dating Coins from the reverse:
http://home.netcom.com/~richlh/Coins...erse_Dated.htm

Minor Errors: http://home.netcom.com/~richlh/Coins/Errors//Errors.htm
http://home.netcom.com/~richlh/Coins...s//Errors2.htm

Large and Small Date Lincolns:
http://home.netcom.com/~richlh/Coins...mall_Dates.htm

Viewing the 3's on Lincolns
http://home.netcom.com/~richlh/Coins/Comparison3's.htm
RCC FAQ:
http://www.telesphere.com/ts/coins/faq2.html

On 19 Dec 2003 05:18:30 -0800, (Serenus
Zeitblom) wrote:

By the way, what is the origin of the 180 degree thing?

This admitted ignorance detracts a great deal from your post.

The reason behind it seems pretty simple and practical to me, though this
is only speculation, that when one flips a coin over in their hand they
will see both side in proper orientation. Compare the difficulty of
flipping a coin one way versus the other while maintaining grasp of it.

BLReed

To email me click he http://tinyurl.com/nd66
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On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 14:47:27 +0000, Jim wrote:

I know you've noticed that 99% of the world embraces comic book colored
paper money as well,

Actaully, I'd like to see the US have colored paper money.

--
John LeMay
kc2kth
Senior Technical Manager
NJMC | http://www.njmc.com | Phone 732-557-4848
Specializing in Microsoft and Unix based solutions

"Serenus Zeitblom" wrote in message
om...
Since the Euro people have now accepted the inevitable
and started having coins with zero rotation between
obverse and reverse, instead of the ugly and
counterintuitive 180 degrees, that leaves the US
as the only major country with that silly system.
I suggest therefore that, in view of the fact that
probably 90 percent of the world's population sees
zero rotation, this should henceforth be called
COIN ROTATION, and the wacky 180 degree system
can be called something else.
By the way, what is the origin of the 180 degree thing?


LOL! Good troll.

Next: Why do those dam' Yankees (north and south) insist on driving on the
wrong (right) side of the road, and why do they abbreviate their dates in
such an illogical fashion (mm/dd/yy - what were they thinking?)

Never mind their colourful spelling.

"John LeMay" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 14:47:27 +0000, Jim wrote:

I know you've noticed that 99% of the world embraces comic book colored
paper money as well,

Actaully, I'd like to see the US have colored paper money.


Just a word of clarification from the Antipodes: our comic book coloured
money is *plastic*, not paper.

Works t'riffic, too!