Vic: Olympic coin designer meets collectors

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2000
Vic: Olympic coin designer meets collectors

MELBOURNE, April 11 AAP - When Stuart Devlin was offered the job of designing the Sydney
Olympics commemorative coins he thought the accompanying directives were ridiculous.

"When I first got the brief I actually threw it in the bin because I thought they were
such ridiculous themes," he said.

After persuasion from the Perth Mint, Mr Devlin relented and went on to create the
designs for 16 silver coins and eight designs in gold.

He also designed the centrepiece of the Olympic coins - the Silver Kilo Olympic Masterpiece.

Made from silver and with a diameter of ten centimetres, it is the first coin to depict
all 28 of the Games' sports.

"I have to admit now that the designs are actually better than I would have done if
I was left to my own devices," Mr Devlin told AAP.

Hundreds of Melburnians today queued for more than an half-an-hour today to get Mr
Devlin's signature on the certificates of authenticity for their coin collections.

"It was worth the wait," said 24 year-old Darcy Trotter. "This is a man who is a world
leader in design and now is goldsmith and jeweller to the Queen."

Mr Trotter bought the 16 designs in silver as a memento for the Olympics.

"This collection is unique as the Olympics don't come around to Australia that often
and being the millennium makes it extra special," Mr Trotter said.

Olympic memories don't come cheap. Each silver coin costs $54, the gold coins are $380
each and the Masterpiece sells for $855. More affordable are the 28 designs in bronze
at $8.95 each.

The coin program, a partnership between the Perth Mint and the Australian Mint, depicts
the Olympic sports as well as showcasing Australian culture, animals and plants.

Mr Devlin said this was first series, since commemorative coins began with the 1954
Helsinki Games, to highlight the host country as well as the sports.

"For the first time we're actually saying something about the host country and I'm
sure Australia has set a precedent that way," Mr Devlin said.

"What I wanted to get across was the diversity of Australia culture, particularly with
the different nationalities that have come to Australia and also to give some idea of
the things that have come out of Australia that have perhaps influenced other countries,"

he said.

Mr Devlin is no stranger to coin design - in 1964, he won a competition to create the
first decimal coins for Australia.

The next year he moved to London to open a workshop and so far he has designed coins
for 36 countries as well as commemorative medallions and furniture and jewellery designs.

In 1982 he was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment as goldsmith and jeweller to
the Queen and in 1988 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Bicentennial
Australia Day honours.

Designing the 25 gold and silver coins took up much of Mr Devlin's time over three
years and the results were the highlight of his career, he said.

"If it hadn't been for the fact that it's such a huge honour, I wouldn't have tackled
the difficult problems (involved)," he said.

"It being such a huge honour you really have to put your best foot forward," he said.

AAP nl/mh/was

KEYWORD: OLY COIN (WITH AAP PICS)

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