The Official Royal-Wedding Coin
Issued by the Royal Mint and designed by Mark Richards, a top British sculptor, the official royal-wedding coin strives to capture the young lovers in profile, gazing at each other lovingly. It succeeds in channeling that romantic ideal, but it falls far short of offering an accurate likeness of the future King and his wife-to-be. Kate, the epitome of elegance in real life, forces a toothy smile and looks as if she's caught a whiff of something foul. William, on the other hand, sports a head of hair more fulsome than the one captured in recent photographs (which makes sense, given that he personally approved the design). Commemoration — no matter how off the mark — comes at a price. Valued at $8, the wedding coin retails for $16, presumably to cover the cost of production.