Royal Mint issues wedding coin

Britain's Royal Mint is trying again -- but early reactions to its coin to mark the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton aren't overwhelmingly positive.

If this sounds familiar, that's because it is: The mint announced a coin in December to mark the couple's engagement. The mint has marked royal milestones since 1935 -- past coins include one to commemorate the 1981 wedding of William's parents, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer -- but this was announced as its first official engagement coin.
The images of the couple, however, were panned. The prince's likeness featured a prominent Adam's apple, and some questioned the accuracy of the depiction of his fiancee. (The Post's Reliable Source weighed in, asking readers to suggest who might have been the models.)

The forthcoming 5-pound coin, designed by Mark Richards, a fellow at the Royal Society of British Sculptors, is to commemorate the couple's wedding next month. The likenesses, as with the earlier coin, were reportedly approved by William and Queen Elizabeth II. (The mint's Web site notes that the government has approved these images as well.) The prince and his fiancee are shown looking at one another. A Daily Mail article on the coin's release sniffed that the bride-to-be "looks somewhat toothy, while her 28-year-old fiance has more hair on his head than has been suggested by recent photographs."