2010 MS69 Silver Britannia - photos and thoughts
pendragon1998
Posts: 2,070 ✭✭✭
Here at last is my 2010 NGC MS69 Silver Britannia, in-hand and photographed. For those of you who aren't familiar with me, I built a collection of all NGC/PCGS MS69 Silver Britannias. I completed the series last year, and now I'm in annual updates.
To view the entire collection, click HERE.
2010 NGC MS69 Silver Britannia
This year's issue is something of a departure from previous trends of style and execution. Termed the "Serene Portrait," the 2010 Britannia design was sculpted by newcomer-to-the-series, Suzie Zamit, who wrote:
"I wanted to portray britannia as strong (almost Amazonian) and courageous looking, but not overly warlike; more peaceful and protective. I have given her a Corinthian-style helmet and incorporated a lion on the design: the lion being the national symbol of courage - I wanted to emphasize the strong and watchful connotations - and this also links in with Greek and Roman coinage which display many animals."
Queen Elizabeth II's portrait is on the obverse as usual; however, this year the entire obverse was done in a completely matte finish. The 2007-2009 issues' obverses were executed in a brilliant finish, and I think that the coins suffered for that. The Queen's cheek is a common spot to see blemishes, due to the large, smooth surfaces. A matte finish is immensely kinder to the effegy than the extraordinarily delicate mirrors of a brilliant finish. While the matte finish is more attractive, it may have been executed at the expense of fine detail; the effegy on my coin appears very soft and a little weak on detail, particularly in the forehead area. I'm not sure if my coin is typical for this year, but the Queen's hair curls do not seem to be nearly as sharply pronounced as previous years' issues. I'm willing to take the tradeoff over a coin with nicked and scuffy cheeks.
On the reverse, we see the Serene Britannia portrait as described above. The lettering, composition, and date appear in brilliant finish on a brilliantly finished ring around the portrait. The date is flanked by sprigs of leaves (olive leaves?), which is the first time the date was bookended in this manner. The effect is quite attractive. The portrait itself extends slightly into the lettering ring.
The portrait was executed with a very rough finish, against a slate-textured background (a surprisingly attractive, if retro, look, reminicent of the fields on a 1913 T1 Buffalo nickel). The entire portrait, including clothing, helmet, and the field, have a strongly-textured finish, which reminds me of a portrait done in clay. The relief is strong, particularly in Britannia's face and her robes. This creates a striking appearance in-hand and in photos, but also results in some difficulty in lighting the coin. The shadows on Britannia's face, if the lighting isn't done carefully, can give her an unfortunately haggard appearance - and in fact, 'haggard' was one of the descriptions I've heard others make.
I've heard quite a bit of negative opinions from casual collectors of the series. Several have mentioned to me that they find the portrait unattractive, even downright ugly. The difficulty properly lighting Britannia's portrait is, I think, the cause of the weak reception by collectors. I completely disagree, although I understand why they would think this. It's regrettable, as the design is, I think, groundbreaking for the series and for modern coinage in general. I think that the choice of a highly-textured portrait was bold - I find the coin very attractive in-hand. Another collector friend of mine is convinced that the lukewarm reception of this design might make this year a key - I'm reserving judgement for now, because I think this coin looks a lot better once you're holding it, or if the photographer has a better understanding of how to light the portrait.
I will make one final note before I stop going on so much. I miss the trident, shield, and waves of previous depictions of Britannia. They are an integral part of representing Britannia; I think the design would have been perhaps a bit overcluttered with their addition, but something seems missing nonetheless. Perhaps instead of the leaves, Zamit could have used the heads of tridents? At least the Lion of Britain is still there, albeit as a helmet. Ok, that's it - one of my favorite designs of the series, which I hope will gain a little more love than it's garnered to date.
To view the entire collection, click HERE.
2010 NGC MS69 Silver Britannia
This year's issue is something of a departure from previous trends of style and execution. Termed the "Serene Portrait," the 2010 Britannia design was sculpted by newcomer-to-the-series, Suzie Zamit, who wrote:
"I wanted to portray britannia as strong (almost Amazonian) and courageous looking, but not overly warlike; more peaceful and protective. I have given her a Corinthian-style helmet and incorporated a lion on the design: the lion being the national symbol of courage - I wanted to emphasize the strong and watchful connotations - and this also links in with Greek and Roman coinage which display many animals."
Queen Elizabeth II's portrait is on the obverse as usual; however, this year the entire obverse was done in a completely matte finish. The 2007-2009 issues' obverses were executed in a brilliant finish, and I think that the coins suffered for that. The Queen's cheek is a common spot to see blemishes, due to the large, smooth surfaces. A matte finish is immensely kinder to the effegy than the extraordinarily delicate mirrors of a brilliant finish. While the matte finish is more attractive, it may have been executed at the expense of fine detail; the effegy on my coin appears very soft and a little weak on detail, particularly in the forehead area. I'm not sure if my coin is typical for this year, but the Queen's hair curls do not seem to be nearly as sharply pronounced as previous years' issues. I'm willing to take the tradeoff over a coin with nicked and scuffy cheeks.
On the reverse, we see the Serene Britannia portrait as described above. The lettering, composition, and date appear in brilliant finish on a brilliantly finished ring around the portrait. The date is flanked by sprigs of leaves (olive leaves?), which is the first time the date was bookended in this manner. The effect is quite attractive. The portrait itself extends slightly into the lettering ring.
The portrait was executed with a very rough finish, against a slate-textured background (a surprisingly attractive, if retro, look, reminicent of the fields on a 1913 T1 Buffalo nickel). The entire portrait, including clothing, helmet, and the field, have a strongly-textured finish, which reminds me of a portrait done in clay. The relief is strong, particularly in Britannia's face and her robes. This creates a striking appearance in-hand and in photos, but also results in some difficulty in lighting the coin. The shadows on Britannia's face, if the lighting isn't done carefully, can give her an unfortunately haggard appearance - and in fact, 'haggard' was one of the descriptions I've heard others make.
I've heard quite a bit of negative opinions from casual collectors of the series. Several have mentioned to me that they find the portrait unattractive, even downright ugly. The difficulty properly lighting Britannia's portrait is, I think, the cause of the weak reception by collectors. I completely disagree, although I understand why they would think this. It's regrettable, as the design is, I think, groundbreaking for the series and for modern coinage in general. I think that the choice of a highly-textured portrait was bold - I find the coin very attractive in-hand. Another collector friend of mine is convinced that the lukewarm reception of this design might make this year a key - I'm reserving judgement for now, because I think this coin looks a lot better once you're holding it, or if the photographer has a better understanding of how to light the portrait.
I will make one final note before I stop going on so much. I miss the trident, shield, and waves of previous depictions of Britannia. They are an integral part of representing Britannia; I think the design would have been perhaps a bit overcluttered with their addition, but something seems missing nonetheless. Perhaps instead of the leaves, Zamit could have used the heads of tridents? At least the Lion of Britain is still there, albeit as a helmet. Ok, that's it - one of my favorite designs of the series, which I hope will gain a little more love than it's garnered to date.
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Comments
IMO that's quite an accomplishment.
I had 2 of every year that I submitted for grading. Not a single one came back as a 69.
I've talked to others with the same experience.
I like the designs though. My favorite is the Bodica/Chariot.
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is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato
Bob
I too like the design and in my opinion the more people see it in hand the better they will appreciate it. I know I did!!