We treated ourselves to a Chinese takeaway last night from our local restaurant, what with it being the Bank Holiday and all that.

I pocketed the change, £4, as soon as it was given to me and didn't think anymore of it, came home and enjoyed my Crispy Chilli Beef, noodles and egg fried rice.

It was only this morning that I took the change out of my pocket to find the stickers over the back of the £2 coins, as shown above.

Is this legal?  Is there not something about defacing the Queen's currency?

What a good idea though - I think there was some programme on the TV last year about the journey of a £5 note - it travelled an inordinate number of miles and changed hands about 50 times before it was destroyed.

This could be the solution the Royal Family have been waiting for to raise additional funds through advertising on their coins - maybe the next coin issue will see Her Majesty in a Nike baseball cap, holding a can of Coke in her hand.  If it reduces the burden on the tax payers then so much the better.