Your cover ideas please.

[Sylvester 15]

i fancied doing one exactly the same but in purple or green...

Two-tone red would be much less impressive...

The orange tinge on the florin contrasts with the blue, simple two tone blue keeps that modern look. Also the loss of the band at the bottom makes it look more modern.

Amazing how it can look modernish and yet have a (very unmodern) gothic on the front.

[Half Penny Jon 0]

I like that Sylvester! Could you change the colour of the web addy and the price to make it more visible?

[Sylvester 15]

I like that Sylvester! Could you change the colour of the web addy and the price to make it more visible?

I did have them in orange (Oli and my idea of orange and blue), but it looked naff.

It's clearer in the bitmap original image, but even then I wonder if white would be better?

Lemme give it a try.

[Edward 0]

Sylvester, I like the concept you are working with, and I like the blue better than the purple. Without being to articulate this early in the morning about color tones, I am wondering if you could bring the two blues slightly closer together, that is the top bar less dark and the lighter blue a tad stronger.

Also, and more important, I think it would appeal to uncover the face of the portrait. The coin itself draws the viewer's interest, and having the text on top makes that difficult.

[Sylvester 15]

Yeah i thought the same about the text... i'm not sure about bringing the colours colser together though, i don't want them blending in...

[william 0]

I really like that Sylvester! You just need to play around with the colours and eventually it will look great.

[Sylvester 15]

Obviously if you want to keep the same kind of style then you just have to change the picture and the colours...

Does the single colour idea work though? It looks better without the writing over Vicky's face...

I'm tempted to try an orange/red one.

What do you think about having the last two digits of the date in a different colour? Or would you rather prefer it all in one?

And more importantly what does Chris think since the decision is his at the end of the day... i could do with some guidance.

Anyone got a picture of a high grade lustrous Edward VII florin i could borrow? I've got a low grade one i might give it a try.

I think the Edward one would look better with the blue... sea and all.

[Sylvester 15]

I did one with a florin but it looks naff... the reason being is i forgot to lighten the florin up... blued it yes, lightened it nooo.

[Edward 0]

Sylvester try this florin... I have a nicer one than this, but not as brilliant, and not photographed.

I like seeing Vic's face. The green leaves me a little so-so? What about having the white spaces at the top in gold, and gold for the initials "CC" and for "05"? And keeping the text otherwise all in the forest green. The lime is what doesn't appeal to me.

What about something in a burgundy? Have you tried that out already? I can't remember at the moment all the versions I've looked at.

[Sylvester 15]

That would do lovely...

Erm about the gold, i haven't tried... i can't really do gold, but the printers probably can.

I wanted to move away from blue; Chris said he wanted to break away from the old style covers and the last one was blue... so i figured blue needed a rest (pity cos i like blue).

I'll see what i can do with your florin... it'll be a while though...

[Emperor Oli 0]

How about white on black? I'm sure the silver coins previously submitted would look super on it. Also, try having the florin as the centrepiece and the "Collector's Coins" in an arc over the top and "2005 Edition Fully Revised" in an arc below it. I tried to do that earlier but my DTP programs are a bit iffy at the moment.

[Sylvester 15]

And for those of us doing this on paintbrush picture? (yes me!), can you do arched lettering? I would do it in word but my word is down and refuses to work without crashing the computer...

I'm sure you could do the arch stuff in word and drag it to pbp... i get quite inventive you know...

[william 0]

Wow, that florin is really nice, will you be able to use that Sylvester?

[Geoff T 3]

Much as I like Aethelred's designs, I can't help feeling that a book dealing with coins 1797 to the present should have on its cover several coins illustrative of the range being covered - yes, even modern decimal coins. My own feeling is that it's important to stress that what we're dealing with is part of an evolving tradition and not just concerned with the past.

Anyone feel the same?

[Half Penny Jon 0]

I can see what you are getting at. Maybe a 1797 penny, an few silver, gold, or copper coins. As well as a few decimal proofs.

[Sylvester 15]

I can see what you are getting at. Maybe a 1797 penny, an few silver, gold, or copper coins. As well as a few decimal proofs.

Well you can scratch gold off for a start...

And Chris wanted to keep expenses down, it's all very well having loads of coins on the front but they cost money. Plus i thought he wanted a more modern look (which suggests minimal to me).

Another thing proofs are a nightmare to photograph/scan.

[Edward 0]

I take the point about the evolving tradition, but I think a single very nice coin is going to attract the most attention. Several coins on a cover that size is going to look cluttered.

[william 0]

...and i particularly liked that Gothic Florin you put on there in the backround Sylvester!

[Coppers 57]

...and i particularly liked that Gothic Florin you put on there in the backround Sylvester!

I did as well and so far that looks to be the best design for a cover I've seen.

[Sylvester 15]

...and i particularly liked that Gothic Florin you put on there in the backround Sylvester!

I did as well and so far that looks to be the best design for a cover I've seen.

Well the final decision lays with Chris at the end of the day... he's probably working on something as we speak.

[Chris Perkins 223]

Well the final decision lays with Chris at the end of the day... he's probably working on something as we speak.

I'm not! I was much rather hoping you lot would do the cover, and you're doing just fine.

I hear what Geoff is saying about having a variety of coins, including a modern one on the front cover. I also understand that aethetically perhaps just one or two coins would be better than cluttering the cover with more. I like the Gothic florin covers....Nothing to do with the coin, it just looks good with one single large coin on the front.

What about some kind of design with 2 coins overlapping, with perhaps a Cartwheel twopenny reverse in the foreground to represent where the book starts, and a 'New pence' twopenny reverse just behind it to represent this years ridiculous modern rumour? Perhaps both images could be the same size as that would look better.

[Sylvester 15]

Well i don't have any cartwheel stuff so i'd have to have the images supplied.

Actually i came across my first Cartwheel 2d in person a few weeks ago, man they are huge the thickness got me... just to show how much attention i paid to this denomination i always thought it would be bigger than the penny but not much thinker... bloody hell, no wonder they were unsuccessful. It took me a whole of 14 years just to actually see one in person, i've still never held one. But i've held a gold noble... strange eh? (mind you i know which one i'd rather hold too... ch'ching)

I don't have any shiny 2ps either...

And it's gonna be difficult to get the overlapping images with the stuff i'm using but i'll give it a try for nothing.

[william 0]

I have had a little go, it probably wont be that good, but see what you think...

[Chris Perkins 223]

Wow, I like that very much! Can you produce one that's A5 size and at 300dpi resolution? I think that's wonderful. Big clap for William.

[Edward 0]

William, this is not bad, I like the banner at the bottom though I don't know what technical difficulties this may present in the printing and binding. I wouldn't kern the capital C's so closely with the o's. and I might suggest spelling out "Great Britain" and making the ''2005" small enough to fit with the "Great Britain", perhaps "2005 Edition".

I wish I could see Sylvester's cover at the same time as yours. I like his presentation of the florin very much.