parent mints unique school coin

An Oxfordshire school has its own unique handmade coin - thanks to a creative parent taking inspiration from the Romans who once lived in the area.

Aureus Primary School is named after a hoard of gold Roman coins which was unearthed by a metal detector at the Didcot site in 1995. The word Aureus comes from the Latin for golden and the hoard of 126 coins represented ten years wages for a Roman soldier.

Using the historical link as a basis for research, parent Mike Page created a unique ‘golden’ coin for the school to display, complete with its logo and 12 values.

“I enjoyed all the research that went into it before I could begin the actual design,” said Mr Page,  an Audio/Visual and IT specialist at Oxford Brookes University.

He used specialist software on his own custom-built router to create the coin from a piece of MDF (medium density fibreboard), but the process wasn’t without difficulty as the intricate design and unique nature of the model came with its own quirks.

He had two attempts at the coin which was hand-finished using a dark wax and bright gold to bring a gleam to the piece.

“I sealed it with a gloss clear-coat lacquer to protect it from little fingers, and little fingers from it. It was a lengthy process, but make no mistake, it was totally worth every bit of effort and energy,” he said.

Pupils had the chance to quiz Mr Page about his work when he presented the coin to the school and gave a special talk about his work.

"We are all absolutely delighted with the coin that Mike has created for us. He has put such thought and effort into the design and making of it and we are truly grateful for all his hard work. The coin takes pride and place in our hall, so it can be enjoyed by our pupils, staff and visitors." said Nicola Roberts, Deputy Headteacher.