Does anyone else think those are, well, hideous? 
I actually like them quite a bit
No.
I think they look quite striking.
I like the contrast of dark and light, and each coin has a distinct design.
Putting all the coins together to make a larger picture is a clever idea.
Only the one pound coin looks a little dull.
I have always thought the current coin designs are awful.
Mukade
See our actual coins…
http://www.guianeuquen.com.ar/nqn/fotos/monedas.jpg
lol, are there any coins which look worse than these?
I like them, too. Not that anybody cares about that.
I think they look great.
Those of $2 and $5 coin don’t exist, they never were in circulation.
Also, that $1 coin is different. I’ve never seen one like that.
Finally, all the coins which are in circulation are in very bad condition.
They’re exactly like these:
Oho, tricky mintings. 
First off, I was scratching my head and going, WTF??, but right soon they reminded me a lot, in a modern hearkening-to-the-past sort of way, of the ancient handstruck coins with their often poorly centered stampings and imperfect shapes - which I thought was rather cool - and then I saw how together they show the Royal Arms when arrayed just so.
I think I like them, after all. They’re certainly distinctive.
O, come on, Nano. Not you, too!
Funny, they didn’t ask me either. 
I guess I’m a symmetry fan, and the new ones look like off-center strike errors.
I’m waiting for the new miniature US coins to reflect their current value, and presidential portraits with tears streaming down their faces …
Wish they did closeups. I think they are interesting looking but it surprises me to see non-round coins when you think of vending machines and such. I assume it’s way easier to accomodate a round coin than angular…
What? Distinctive is good. Well, sometimes. I think it is in this case.
“Oh, you’re British. You use those f***ed-up coins.” 
Anyway, the more I see 'em, the more I like 'em. Honest!
Symetrie ist die Ästhetik der Primitiven.
I like 'em, myself. The asymmetry appeals to me.
What I liked best about the coins in England when we were there was the thickness of the 1 pound coin. Rather than doing what we Yanks have been doing forever with our “silver dollars” and making the coin bigger in diameter (to the point where it’s impractical to carry one in one’s pocket) or so like a quarter you can barely tell the difference, they went with a coin that is distinctly different (to the point where you can easily tell it from other coins just by the feel), yet practical.
Redwolf
I’m with you, MTGuru (though that’s not necessarily something you want to admit in public). I think they look godawful. But that’s just me.
djm
They remind me of the new nickels. This incomplete off-kelter thing seems to be the trend among the trendy mints.
Natürlich! Don’t make me come over there with my bearskin and club … 
The shapes aren’t changing - the 50p and 20p coins are those shapes currently. The colours haven’t been changed either.
If I ever see these in circulation I’ll take some closeups for you. I don’t recall hearing anything about this in 2005, strangely, and I like coins so I would have remembered.