Which side of the Euro is heads?

Blisterman

I always thought it was the side with the map, but some of them have heads on the other side. Which is it? Confusing.

They should have heads and tails written on the coins.

Healio

It all goes back to the english coins when the queens head and the lions tail were on either side. Then other cultures adopted the practice of a coin flip, the heads and tails is up to who flips the coin. The Irish coins had the harp on the front, so i would say the harp is the front.

Ciaran500

I'd say the side with the map is the front and therefore heads.

aidan_walsh

Wasn't the Irish version "Heads or Harps"? So therefore the map would be the head...

Gone West

yes im inclined to go with the "top" side being heads, ie. the map. Even though theres heads on the other side, sometimes. I call it heads or harps.

Healio

The harp is the front of the coin!

RE*AC*TOR

Generally the old Irish coins had animals - which had heads - so heads or harps was the term used. And therefore I'd call the map side heads now.

impr0v

map side.

Gone West

this should be an official poll

Creamy Goodness

Healio wrote:

The harp is the front of the coin!

shouldn't the front of something always tell you what it is, eg.

20p coin
50p coin
1 euro coin
2 euro coin
5c coin

you get the drift

PlasseyMinstrel

The front of any coin is the one that has its value written on it... in this case the side with the map.

By convention, due to old British coins always having a head on the front, the front has become known as heads regardless of what is displayed on it. Head and Harp just changed the word tail to harp, heads didn't come from the animals, it was just continuing in the tradition from the British ones.

Healio

All im sayin is the harp was the front of the irish coins, dont believe me?
google it

http://www.eurocoins.co.uk/ireland.html

PlasseyMinstrel

That's pretty strange considering the display case shows what they call the reverse side.

Either way the 'heads' refers to that side because the side with the harp obviously corresponds to the old harp because they're almost identical.

It is logical that the side with the value written on it would be deemed the front.

Victor

Well they is wrong. The map is on the obverse and the national logos on the reverse.

They actually appear to be called the "common" side / face and "country-specific" side. This site is slightly more official.

http://www.euro.ecb.int/en.html

Common side

The front of each coin has the same design for all 12 countries in the euro area. The reverse side displays different designs for each country, created
by their own national artists. All coins can be used anywhere in the euro area.

Healio

-oRnein9-

The side that contains the value of the coin and the map of europe is heads no matter what any of these sites say, just go into any pub in Ireland and ask what side of the coin is heads and someone will tell ya the same "FACT".

Healio

Im talking about the front of an irish punt coin, so you go into a pub? and you will be told the harp is the front FACT

Shane™

As long as I can remember the front of coin was always at the front, and on the back was the harp. . .

Third_Echelon

Healio wrote:

Im talking about the front of an irish punt coin, so you go into a pub? and you will be told the harp is the front FACT

Is this in the backwards ireland where everything is the wrong way around???

Where the hell did you come up with the harp being on the front?

The harp is the BACK of the coin....

Healio

not on the old punt coins

Victor

Healio wrote:

not on the old punt coins

Healio would appear to correct. The Harp was the front of the £1 coin, as silly as it sounds.

http://www.centralbank.ie/frame_main.asp?pg=ncn_comm.asp&nv=ncn_nav.asp

Blisterman

So if you have a euro coin with a head on the tails side, would that make sense?

PlasseyMinstrel

Shane&#8482 wrote:

As long as I can remember the front of coin was always at the front

em, thanks for that

Healio

Blisterman wrote:

So if you have a euro coin with a head on the tails side, would that make sense?

I never said anything about which is heads or tails i just said the harp is the front.

Victor

Blisterman wrote:

So if you have a euro coin with a head on the tails side, would that make sense?

Well, that would be an ecumenical matter.

Healio

Victor wrote:

Well, that would be an ecumenical matter.

Dont you mean economical matter

shoot me now

billy the squid

The harp- is on the back of the coin its heads or harps for as long as I remember. when I was younger we didnt have pound coins so there were never any arguements as to whether the harp was on the front or the back of the pound coin.

if your still not sure then use an english coin.

Healio

it may be heads or harps, but the harp isnt the back of the coin.

PlasseyMinstrel

I think it stands to reason that if one side is going to be called 'heads' and the other 'harp' then the one with a picture of a harp on it should be the one called 'harp'!

aidan_walsh

Healio wrote:

it may be heads or harps, but the harp isnt the back of the coin.

So the head is actually the tail?

Now my head hurts

Healio

PlasseyMinstrel wrote:

I think it stands to reason that if one side is going to be called 'heads' and the other 'harp' then the one with a picture of a harp on it should be the one called 'harp'!

im not disagreeing with you, im just saying the harp is the front of the irish punt coins.

Third_Echelon

Healio wrote:

im not disagreeing with you, im just saying the harp is the front of the irish punt coins.

Reading the link from Victors post to the irish central bank, it does say for the old irish pound coin that the deer is on the reverse, but that just makes no sense at all...

They even contradict their text by showing the deer side (which they claim is the reverse) and show it on the 'up side' of the display case. Now if that isn't fcuked up, i dont know what is...

The front of the coin is always the side with the amount on it. Trust the irish to go and fcuk that up...

With the euro coins there is no way that the harp is the front...

cajun_tiger

with any coin its head is the one with the money amount and tails is the other side...

Goodshape

Harp is heads if you ask me. What ever about 'front' or 'back' - the harp's the national symbal; therefor heads.

'Heads or harps' I never used. The animals also had tails

Gilgamesh

cajun_tiger wrote:

with any coin its head is the one with the money amount and tails is the other side...

Agree with Caj on this one

bringitdown

Ah, there's an interesting story behind this nickel. In 1957, I remember it was, I got up in the morning and made myself a piece of toast. I set the toaster to three - medium brown..

Anyhew -I agree with the head or harp faction, so given we still have a harp, then the head is the other side is it not.

CrowdedHouse

Seeing as how any Euro coin(/me checks change) from whatever country will have a map on it,I propose we officially declare this 'Heads'...as its 1.most likely we will be using a Euro coin and 2.Boards.ie decisions carry a lot of weight

fjon

RE*AC*TOR wrote:

Generally the old Irish coins had animals - which had heads - so heads or harps was the term used. And therefore I'd call the map side heads now.

The animals used also all had tails

Blisterman

cajun_tiger wrote:

with any coin its head is the one with the money amount and tails is the other side...

But english coins have the money amount on the tails side.

StupidLikeAFox

Does it really make a difference?

Blisterman

Yes it does. This could end up in a court of law some day.

Victor

cajun_tiger wrote:

with any coin its head is the one with the money amount and tails is the other side...

But take a Spanish €1 coin, that has a head on one side and a map (and the amount) on the other.

I claim "heads and tails" and "heads and harps" to be defunct.

Healio

Just to finish this off, i said the harp is the front of the coin, i never said "heads" was either so "heads" can be the map, but the harp is still the front. And if it is such a big thing why no say Europe or Harp?