The Coins of the Irish Free State, 1928: are animals good to think with?

We have no surviving information regarding the people or the considerations behind the process of choosing the iconography of ancient coinage. We can only speculate regarding the political and commercial drivers at stake in the case of the Anglo-Saxons, designing their own coinage ex novo in the 7^th century, so that it would successfully fit amongst those of continental partners.
In contrast, the genesis of the 1928 Irish Free State coins was minutely documented in all its stages, from the aspirations behind this first new and independent coinage, to the managing and directing of the stages in the process, to the officials and artists involved. The designs on the eight Irish denominations were to be completely fresh and coherently tied by a unified theme: what was chosen was a series of animals illustrating the «natural products of Ireland, its sports and industries». In addition, we can follow their reception thanks to the debates and various controversies around their political, historical and cultural background as reported in the press at the time. Although the Irish case-study is far removed from the Anglo-Saxon scene, the jostling of ideas, aspirations and egos in decision-making may not have been too dissimilar, and is cause for reflection. It is an interesting coincidence that the true independent coinage of the fully ‘modern’ and mercantile Anglo-Saxon England, the so-called sceattas of the early 8^th century, should also have adopted animals for their rich iconography. As Levi-Strauss argued, animals can embody an endless variety of messages and ideas, as can be seen from the new official coins of King Charles III, featuring endangered flora and fauna of the British Isles, which testify to his interest in conservation.