The King Could be Superstitious
From canceled coin designs to age-old traditions, the British Monarchy’s relationship with currency reveals a fascinating interplay of superstition and symbolism.
Could Britain’s King Charles III be superstitious? The reigning monarch has final approval authority on his or her image and other accompanying designs, which are about to appear on all British coins, bank notes, and stamps. It has only been learned recently, but Charles pulled the plug on the first design planned to appear on his £1 coin.
According to British Royal Mint Chief Engraver Gordon Summers, the king was “heavily involved” in his initial coinage designs. The reverse of Charles’ pence to £2 (eight coins) features the flora and fauna of the United Kingdom, a nod to the king’s well-known passion for environmentalism. This is in contrast to the “regal” subjects that appear on the reverse of the coins struck during his mother, Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.
The reverse theme of the king’s coinage shows what has been termed a “commitment to conservation and the natural world.” The coin designs feature wildlife, including salmon, puffins, dormice, and oak trees. All eight coins include a repeated pattern of three interlocking Cs, inspired by Stuart-era coinage under Charles II, which featured a similar double-C design. The triplet of Cs is meant to represent “crown, community, and conservation”—the three themes of King Charles’s coronation address.
It’s not Charles’ portrait on the obverse that Charles disliked. Charles’ portrait faces right, in the opposite direction, as does the picture of his late mother on her coinage, as is proper by tradition. Summers said, “The Cs were originally facing down [on the reverse]. Charles felt that the C at the bottom looked like an upside-down horseshoe and looked a bit unlucky. That’s the level of detail he looked at.”
A horseshoe hung upside down is believed to run the luck out of that shoe. Should the horseshoe be right side up, it is believed it can ward off evil spirits. Some fisherman nailed these shoes upside down to allow luck to fall into their nets, while others believe horseshoe rings should be worn open and upward towards the body so the U-shape will resemble a bowl, which you want to be full.
None of the upside-down C coins are known to have been struck or distributed for circulation. Charles’ coinage is being distributed as needed. The decimal-denominated coins and bank notes on which his late mother appears continue to be legal tender.
The British have a long history of superstition regarding their money. Now obsolete, the silver sixpence was traditionally mixed into Christmas puddings. Everyone in the family would take a turn at stirring the pudding. Once the dish was ready, the person who was served the slice with the coin was believed to receive good luck in the coming year.
A wedding tradition has the bride wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe.”
Not that someone with a drinking problem would contemplate where the word “bender” originates, but having gone on a bender was slang for prolonged alcohol binges that years ago cost sixpence for an all-day marathon in a tavern. The silver sixpence often got bent in the consumer’s pocket, thus the word bender.
Brit coinage superstitions involve the monarchy as well. Many of the silver crowns of 1653 to 1658 of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell display a prominent crack across his lower profile due to a coinage die crack. Cromwell did enjoy wearing a cloth around his neck, which may have suggested a health problem. It was believed the crack appearing on his bust on his coins suggested his reign was about to meet its end, which it quickly did. Adding insult, in 1661, Cromwell’s body was exhumed, put on trial for treason and regicide, and then beheaded once found guilty.
Some people believe the end of British rule in India may have commenced with the so-called pig rupee of 1911, on which King George V appears on the obverse. The king wears the Order of the Elephant about his neck on the coins; however, because of the poor engraving, the elephant has stubby feet and closely resembles a pig. The ears are barely visible. The trunk and face are poorly defined. The animal was described as “porcine.” An effort was made to withdraw the coins, but some survived. Coins of superior engraving quality were struck at Bombay and Calcutta, then released on Dec. 12, 1911, Durbar Day, when the monarch was declared Emperor of India.
Some bank notes have also suffered ignoble and perhaps superstitious remarks, the most prominent likely being Canada’s Series 1954 “Devil’s Head” notes. The notes caused quite a controversy because, in the engraving of the portrait, an area of Queen Elizabeth II’s hair gives the illusion of a grinning devil. Modifications to the printing plates for all denominations were made in 1956 to exorcise the laughing demon!
Perhaps even worse are the Seychelles 10-rupee bank notes dated between 1968 and 1974, on which the word ‘scum’ appears at the bottom left below the vignette of the turtle. Not to be outdone, 1968 to 1974 dated 20 rupees show the word ‘poop’ semi-hidden in the branches in front of the bird’s tail feathers, while the 50-rupee bank notes issued dated between 1968 and 1973 feature the word ‘sex’ appearing in the palm trees at the right (particularly visible when the note is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise), It is doubtful the queen was much amused, considering her vignette appears on each of these notes!
Looking back at all this, perhaps the current king might have good reason to be cautious about how the interlocking Cs could be misconstrued as featuring a bad-luck horseshoe.
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