972) Royal Dutch Mint, Utrecht, Netherlands (or the "Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt"): Crossing the 100th Anniversary milestone with the issue of the World's first QR Coded Coin in 2011: Winner of the prestigious 2013 "Coin of the Year Award" (COTY) & the "Most Innovative Coin of the Year" Category:
For interesting posts on coins from the Netherlands, please visit the following links:
3) Netherlands: Gold Ducats - 2018: Single Ducat and Double Ducat Gold Coins minted by the Royal Dutch Mint, Netherlands in 2018
4) Royal Dutch Mint, Utrecht, Netherlands (or the "koninklijke Nederlandse Munt): Crossing the 100th Anniversary milestone with the issue the the World's first QR Coded Coin in 2011: Winner of the prestigious 2013 "Coin of the Year Award" (COTY) & the Most Innovative Coin of the Year" Category
For interesting posts on coins from the Netherlands, please visit the following links:
3) Netherlands: Gold Ducats - 2018: Single Ducat and Double Ducat Gold Coins minted by the Royal Dutch Mint, Netherlands in 2018
4) Royal Dutch Mint, Utrecht, Netherlands (or the "koninklijke Nederlandse Munt): Crossing the 100th Anniversary milestone with the issue the the World's first QR Coded Coin in 2011: Winner of the prestigious 2013 "Coin of the Year Award" (COTY) & the Most Innovative Coin of the Year" Category
On 22.06.2011, the Royal Dutch Mint celebrated the Utrecht mint's building with the issue of the world's first QR Coded Coins. The coins were a limited edition minted in Silver (5 Euros) and Gold (10 Euros) variants.
QR Code is a high-density barcode, which is now seen in our everyday life - on consumer goods, packaging, freight, business forms, used for logistics and inventory tracking, manufacturing, healthcare, books, fliers, cereal boxes, grocery store display shelves, websites, billboards, advertising, general logistics, ticketing etc.
QR Codes (or (Quick Response Codes) are "little black and white squiggly images" which were in use in Japan for several years and have now been "adopted" the world over.
The QR Code system was first developed/created by Denso Wave, a Toyota subsidiary, in 1944, as a solution to the limitation of the maximum of 20 digit barcodes, so as to provide more information to track car-parts more efficiently/effectively in the manufacturing process. Denso Wave's QR Code can represent up to 7,089 numbers (or 4,296 alphanumeric characters - much more than the capability of a bar-code. To maintain its practicality, it then shrinks the physical image of a QR Code by adding the ability to store the data in two dimensions - both horizontally and vertically. Then QR Codes can be read by a dedicated scanner. These facilities are now incorporated in Smart-phones, QR Scanners, QR Code Readers etc.
Because of its simple design, information can be easily scanned and uploaded to a computer or a "Point of Sale" system.
The Reverse of the Silver 5 Euro QR Coded Coin. The QR Code is positioned on an old screw press that sits in the Utrecht Mint's lobby.
Scanning the QR Code on these coins took the viewer on a journey through the entrance of the Mint and shows a bin full of coins. Then it leads to a game of memory, matching pairs of cards - showing obverse or reverse designs of Commemorative Dutch coins etc.
An interesting innovation by the Royal Dutch Mint.
The Obverse of the Silver 5 Euro Coin depicts a portrait of Queen Beatrice.
Winner of the 2013 "Coin of the Year Award" (COTY) and the "Most Innovative Coin of the Year" sub-category:
In 2013, this coin was selected as the "Coin of the Year" (COTY) in the prestigious competition held every year by Krause Publications, in which coins minted two years ago are nominated for the COTY Award and 10 sub-categories winners.
This Coin also won the "Most Innovative Coin of the Year" in a sub-category.
Quentin Christensen Fascinating. I wonder has there been a circulation coin with a QR code on it? Numista lists 20 coins with QR codes, but all non-circulating like this one. On a similar theme, I recently came across my first token with a URL on it (I haven't yet got a coin with one - like QR codes there are a number of non-circulating coins, but I don't think any circulation coins with URLs yet - though I'd be happy to be corrected - and then to get one). This is an arcade token from Poland. The URL is for the game hardware manufacturer. (Pic of the token)".
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting the post, Quentin. Although I had collected material for this post about a year ago, I was trying to include a circulating coin, before putting up my post. I have so far not come across any circulation coins with the QR Codes on them, although there seem to be banknotes with the QR codes in circulation. If I come across any I will share the info with you.
DeleteQuentin Christensen has further commented:
Delete"Thank you Rajeev. Much as we like the idea of collecting such pieces, I guess the main purpose of putting a URL or QR code is either for advertising - like my arcade token (though how many people play in an arcade, then think "Wow, who made these machines, they're brilliant, I'm going to buy one!"). There is less reason for a country to put such things on their regular circulating currency at this point. If it could be used to verify the authenticity of a piece of currency it could be useful, but really, it could only point to one location for all of that mintage or print run, and wouldn't be any harder to forge than any other design element (and actually, if you had a suspected counterfeit coin or note, would you really want to then go to a website listed on it?) Still, interesting to see how numismatics evolves!"
Technology has been really evolving and making counterfeiting of coins more difficult for the unscrupulous persons. From the days of the "cowrie shells", "beads", "sand dollars" etc. minting of modern coins has become more and more sophisticated. Yet as the US Mint had mentioned at the time of the introduction of the new $100 Banknote in 2013 - "We are raising the bar for counterfeiters". The counterfeiter is always a step ahead, as you have rightly said. Perhaps future coins will have some built in safeguards to fox the counterfeiters.
DeleteQuentin Christensen has further commented:
Delete"Indeed. I would think bimetallic coins would be hard to counterfeit. Even earlier, coins with "security edges" existed and I wonder how successful they were? I guess since notes have been popular for large denominations, they are the main targets to counterfeit (in terms of everyday currency)."
An interesting example is the 500 yen coin introduced in 2000 to deter counterfeiters. It had an image of a bamboo, Mandarin oranges and the denomination of the coin with a latent image as an additional security. This was considered to be the most secure coin in the world. It got counterfeited in less than a year. Not only this in ATMs in Japan unscrupulous elements would put in a North Korean coin ol similar dimensions but lower value and exchange it for the 500 yen coin.
DeleteQuentin Christensen has further commented:
Delete"Oh I saw those 500 Yen coins which displayed I think "500 yen" in the middle of the number if you look at it from one angle, and "Japan" if you look at it from another - very clever! Though if it got counterfeited so quickly it really backs up that earlier comment about the counterfeiters being one step ahead."
A very interesting approach. I have seen QR codes on some coins and banknotes as an adia, and I sincerely wonder how come it isn't more wide spread. I think it could partially help visually impaired people, but it could also further education, provide more information, and I think potentially it could enhance security as well.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the monetary authorities are giving more thought to this aspect. I hope that more and more countries come round to making their currency more convenient for visually impaired persons/elderly users.
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