■「これからの時代を考えると無駄が多い」編
Although the new £1 coin looks beautiful and will attract collectors, I wonder how much it will cost to change the lockers, vending machines and shopping trolleys*. Nowadays, e-cash systems are becoming more and more popular and this trend will continue. I think it would be more convenient to make them work with, say, an Oyster card, when changes have to be made anyway. Obviously, we are moving towards the cashless society and from this point of view, all the efforts and troubles to prepare for the new design do not appear to be worth the cost.*背景説明: イギリスのスーパーマーケット(TESCOなど)では、ショッピングカートを使用する際に £1 coinを鍵穴に挿入してチェーンを解除する必要がある。
■「情報の出し方が上手いね」編
The news says that this new coin has a hidden security feature to protect it from counterfeiting. Considering the fact that 2.55% of £1 coins in circulation were estimated to be fake in 2015, it is wise of the Royal Mint* not to reveal any details about the additional feature. But still, counterfeiters will definitely try to duplicate this new £1 coin, too. Whatever the "hidden feature" may be, I hope it will really produce the intended result.*背景説明: the Royal Mint「王立造幣局」
→英国の硬貨鋳造を担当する政府の施設。ここでの mintはスースーするやつではなく、ラテン語 moneta (money)を語源とする「造幣局」の意味。
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