New 50p coin.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph....lls-offside-rule.html

Was there any need to explain the off-side rule in such a way?

[boxtops]

why not, most people not interested in football have no understanding what it means. Mind you, it doesn't make it any clearer, IMO!

[237SJ]

Well when I read it, I thought I might collect all 29 different coins. How sad is that?

[anotheoldgit]

If they are not interested in football, why do they need to know the off-side rule?

[Anlyn]

Nope, still none the wiser... I wonder how much it cost to produce these coins?

[Prudie]

Understanding the off-side rule has become a necessary social grace, irrelevant of any interest in football.

[anotheoldgit]

If Pakistan was to mint such a coin, would one illustrate the 'no ball' rule? :0)

Topical Joke, before I get slated a racist.

[ludwig]

Who cares?. They've got to print something on there, why not that.

[anotheoldgit]

redhelen

Well defiantly not an explanation of the rules of football, might as well put on the top hand in poker.

But since they have been struck to commemorate the Olympics, something more appropriate to that event.

[nannybooby]

Joeluke - wind your neck in that was really sexist

[Gromit]

A very dull design and incredibly badly executed. It is neither attractive or useful.

Was this a result of some kind of competition? How come a journalist ends up designing coins?

There seems to be in general a very poor level of design competence at the Treasury. The designs on our current range of coinage is horrible.

[LazyGun]

I have no problem with them having a competition to find interesting designs. I have no problem with running that competition in conjunction with the Olympics. So far, so good.

However - the guy who submitted the design describes himself as a sports journo and a football fan - so how come he was not aware of the shortfalls in his design, when attempting to explain the offside rule?

And I would have thought that, prior to making the selection of winning designs, the selection panel would have submitted the various designs to some experts - If they did, red faces aplenty amongst the experts, if not, silly silly selection panel.

[Teddy_boy]

And why not?

[poortony]

I agree with Prudie

[jno]

I don't know if this made it into the Telegraph, but according to the Guardian, refs say the coin is wrong

http://www.guardian.c...law-wrong?INTCMP=SRCH

As I neither know nor care about the offside rule, I couldn't say who's right.

[rowanwitch]

At least when people get it wrong they will have something to blame