The first issue in a five-coin series highlighting the long-running animated comedy The Simpsons was recently released by Australia’s Perth Mint.
Featuring the head of the family, Homer Simpson, the coin’s reverse depicts the buffoonish father of three raising a glass in front of Moe’s Tavern, the town of Springfield’s local watering hole. Included in the design is show creator Matt Groening’s signature and the Perth Mint’s “P” mintmark.
The coin’s obverse depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, the $1 denomination, one-ounce weight, 99.99 per cent fineness and 2019 year-date.
The remaining coins in the series will feature Homer’s wife, Marge, and their children Bart, Lisa and Maggie.
The Simpson family is featured on another silver coin recently issued by the Perth Mint.
THE FAMILY
First introduced in 1987, the Simpson family originally appeared in 30-second segments on The Tracey Ullman Show.
Two years later, The Simpsons premiered as a half-hour series and instantly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon that’s now seen in 60 countries and 20 languages. Now in its 30th season, it’s the longest-running primetime scripted show in TV history. It was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000 and has won 33 Emmy Awards, 34 Annie Awards, a 2017 People’s Choice Award and was the first animated series to win a Peabody Award.
Another coin, this struck in two ounces of Proof-quality silver, features a coloured image of the Simpson family with their greyhound dog, Santa’s Little Helper, and pet cat, Snowball II.
This $2 coin has a weight of 62.21 grams, a diameter of 50.6 millimetres and a mintage of 2,000 pieces. It’s currently sold out on the mint’s website.
‘D’OH!’ COIN
Homer’s iconic catchphrase, ‘D’oh!,’ is also featured on a one-ounce silver coin.
Owing to his buffoonery, Homer’s catchphrase “D’oh!” has also become a cultural phenomenon.
It, too, is commemorated on a one-ounce silver coin portraying the word that’s now recognized by major dictionaries around the world.
First added to the Oxford Dictionary of English in 1998, “D’oh!” is described as an interjection “used to comment on an action perceived as foolish or stupid.”
A half-eaten glazed donut with sprinkles – Homer’s favourite treat – replaces the letter “O” in “D’OH!” on the new silver coin. Also included in the design is the mint’s “P” mintmark, Groening’s signature and a background of sprinkles from Homer’s famous donut.
This coin, which has a weight of 31.107 grams and a diameter of 40.6 millimetres, is also sold out on the mint’s website.
Homer’s donut is also featured on a one-ounce silver coin.
DONUT COIN
Lastly, a donut-inspired coin depicts Homer’s pink-frosted donut complete with sprinkles.
With the centre stamped out for a true donut design, this 99.99 per cent silver coin has a weight of 31.107 grams, a diameter of 41 millimetres and a mintage of 3,000 pieces.
This coin is also sold out on the mint’s website.