#HTE

Explaining the Design of the Commemorative Trump/Kim Coin

Now that talking about Meghan Markle’s dress has run out of steam, the news is focusing on the commemorative coin produced by the White House Communications Agency in anticipation of peace talks between the U.S. and North Korean leaders. Critics say the coin is both premature and in bad taste. We’re not interested in the politics, but we’re very interested in the design of this coin, so here we’ll break it down.

For the numismatically challenged, the coin might simply appear to be two equal men with great haircuts looking at each other. But by looking deeper we can uncover the hidden design elements.

There are obvious nods here to some of these fellows’ favorite things.

*Scallops: This represents the President’s favorite dish at Red Lobster, the Scallops Scampi. You may be wondering why there are 26 scallops around the perimeter of the coin, when everyone knows you only get seven scallops per order. The President’s favorite tactic is to ask for three orders, finish the first two orders, eat five scallops from the third order, then send the rest of the third order back, saying it tastes funny and that he wants a fresh replacement. Then they bring out a whole new third order, so he gets another seven scallops on top of the five he already ate. That’s 26 scallops!

There are also some nods to business matters:

There’s also one typesetting error.