A BORING DISCOVERY

I just noticed that the Queen faces right on coins and left on stamps.

This ranks among the most boring discoveries of my life I think. It seems that there isn't any particular reason for it, other than the fact the original Penny Black (1840) was based on a medal of Queen Victoria, in which she faced left.

Meanwhile on coins, the direction alternates between monarchs. George VI faced left (apparently) and Elizabeth II faces right.

Other boring discoveries I've made include: most electronic appliances (at least in our kitchen) hum in G major, hot tea cools slower with milk in it and you can write the word TYPEWRITER with the top row of letter keys on your keyboard.

You know what, I should have made up a reason - a more exciting explanation of why the Queen faces right on coins and left on stamps. Well, now that you know the dull truth of it, maybe I should give it a go anyway...

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Did you know... the Queen, our noble Queen Elizabeth II faces left on stamps but right on coins? True, check it out. It's all because Queen Victoria's original portrait artist was left handed. Unable to arrange his equipment in the royal portrait room from any other suitable angle he was forced to paint her from the left hand side. She was initially left unamused by the inconvenience but approved the portrait for the Royal Post Office by claiming it was indeed her 'better side'.

Coins? Ah coins! Well there's an old tradition with coins, yes. The reigning monarch or emperor should be facing to the right as a symbol of the righteousness they are to convey. "Better to be right in front," said Vespasian, famously, "than left behind."

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You know, I think it would look odd if the Queen were facing right on stamps. I rather like the thought that she faces the address, that she's kind of interested in the destination, the location within her glorious realms to which her correspondence is headed. I like to think she takes an interest in her subjects, in the birthday cards and love letters and parcels and presents we send. (She's not bothered about bills; they come with horrible prepaid bars and numbers, and of course she doesn't appear on junk mail).

Similarly, she faces outwards from coins - almost as though it were her way of saying it's better to give this stuff away than to keep hold of it. Yes, Ma'am.

Perhaps it wasn't a boring discovery after all. Perhaps when you dig a little deeper, there's no such thing.