Here in Glasgow we are pretty excited about the upcoming Commonwealth Games, and we were especially excited to discover that the Royal Mint have commissioned a special 50p to mark the occasion. The 50p features some sporting imagery, as you might expect, but as well as the cyclist and runner, it also has a saltire, a symbol of Scottish national identity, and the writing is done in the style of famous Glaswegian artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Image courtesy of the Royal Mint:
http://www.royalmint.com/shop/The_Glasgow_2014_Commonwealth_Games_UK_50p_Brilliant_Uncirculated_Coin
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Coin from The Hunterian, Glasgow (catalogue number 21182). |
Our project will take the form of an online exhibition on our webpage. Using the Glasgow 50p as a springboard for thinking about coins minted to commemorate games, we have chosen a selection of Roman coins to feature in this exhibition. We have divided the coins into four broad themes: history, politics, religion and sport. Each topic has an introductory video featuring either us or a special guest, as well as some information and images of the coins. We are also planning a number of events which will take place during the commonwealth games, and which we hope will be of interest to a wide audience.
The Small Change Big Games team are also known as Jenny and Sarah, two PhD students at Glasgow, you can contact them at smallchangebiggames@gmail.com, @smallchange2014 or www.smallchange2014.tumblr.com.
* For the five volume collection 'Roman imperial coins in the Hunter Coin Cabinet, University of Glasgow' go to X136H.2 in the library!
If anyone else is interested in submitting a guest post for our blog then contact us at iclass.enquiries@london.ac.uk. It doesn't have to be formal or directly related to the library. As long as it involves Classics in general we're happy to give our readers a chance to advertise, explain and vent!