The Dutch are celebrating the centennial of their Royal Mint in style by giving some of their coinage a money-makover – Gadget style!
A silver €5 and gold €10 will be released publically within the Netherlands later this month – but these are coins with a 21st century twist. The front features the normal shining surface with face of the country’s royal matriarch Queen Beatrix. Flip the coin over however, and the lucky owner will find a Quick-Response matrix barcode which once scanned using a smartphone will take them to the Royal Dutch Mint website where there’ll be a “surprise” awaiting them.
This is an example of a novel use for QR codes on coins, but there’s potential for more here. Maybe a scanning database of everywhere your coin has been? Or a re-usable credit scheme?
We’re already reaching the horizon of a digital wallet with our mobiles. Maybe soon one little coin could also be used to pay for everything? No more annoying pocket change – More room for pocket gadgets is something we at the Gadget Helpline would applaud!
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