The Australian mint has released two brand new coins featuring the late Queen Elizabeth, but it has not been well-received.
The coins, which were released to mark 100 years since the birth of the late Queen and features a portrait of her, was criticised online, with many saying that it looked nothing like her.
“That’s got to be the most unpleasant portrait on a coin,” one joked.
“Is this what happens when the Queen is not around to approve the design?” another said.
“If I saw that face without the hairdo and pearls, [I] would never guess who it was meant to be,” a third added.
“Gawd save the Queen! Yikes!” a fourth commented.
Other Aussies said they would not be purchasing the coin, while some joked that the coins would be worth more if they got recalled.
The Mint released two Queen Elizabeth II Centenary of Birth coins, one a $5 silver proof version for $190, with 5,000 of the coins minted, while the other is a 50 cent coin for $20, with 30,000 coins minted.
Despite the response, a Mint spokesperson has confirmed that the coins were “palace-approved” and sold out by mid-afternoon when it was released on Thursday.
“The design incorporates Her Majesty’s Royal Cypher, a stylised St Edward’s Crown and the Auxiliary Territorial Service emblem, acknowledging her wartime service and lifelong sense of duty.”
The coins also had motifs of a horse, corgi, references to art and theatre as well as flowers including the Queen’s favourite lily of the valley.
The portrait was created by Mint artist Aleksandra Stokic, with the Mint noting that coin images do not always fully reflect the beauty of a design once it is struck in metal.
Image: Royal Australian Mint
