It is a mystery that HG Wells’s characters would have been quick to leap on, but one that would doubtless have enraged the fastidious Wells himself: what is the origin of the quote chosen by the Royal Mint and attributed to him on the new Wells £2 coin? “Surely the Royal Mint hasn’t just plucked a quotation off the net without checking the source … has it?”Author Eleanor Fitzsimons solved the mystery. Unfortunately for the Royal Mint, not only is the Wells quotation inaccurate, the actual sentiments expressed are likely to be far from what the author intended. Asked about the source of its quotation, the Royal Mint told the Guardian that “Good books are the warehouses of ideas” was “widely associated with HG Wells”. It added that all themes considered for Royal Mint coins go through a planning and design selection process governed by an independent panel known as the Royal Mint Advisory Committee, which includes experts in art, heraldry, typography, sculpture, history and numismatics.

Source: The Guardian January 08, 2021 14:15 UTC