I’ve always wanted to fabricate an oversized coin. No particular reason — just one of those random creative urges. So one day, I started by tracing some coins from Hong Kong, the ones I grew up with, featuring Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait.
As I was tracing Her Majesty’s face, the news of her passing came on. At that moment, I felt something strange. Hong Kongers had a nickname for Queen Elizabeth II: “事頭婆” (see tau por), which roughly means “Boss Woman” in local slang. Like many British colonies, her image was everywhere — on our currency, government buildings, you name it.
Subconsciously, she had become almost god-like, much like the different Buddha statues and images you find in Chinese religious homes. Having lived over 30 years with her face always on display — even before I was born — the idea that she could die never really occurred to me. She was just… always there.
The mix of reflecting on her passing while literally drawing her face in Illustrator made me want to do something tangible. I searched for manufacturers in Taiwan, initially looking at rubber coasters, but soon realized metal coasters would be way cooler. I dived into research about pricing and production processes.
I got some samples made, but they were too thin. At first, I wanted to keep the thickness proportional to a real coin, but the cost was just too high. Eventually, we found a thickness that struck the perfect balance — thin enough to keep costs reasonable, yet thick enough to feel sturdy and easy to pick up with your fingernails. Importantly, it didn’t feel cheap in your hand.
L9L
Go to L9L website
L9L is my brand for resisting hesitation. I’ve had so many ideas over the years that never saw the light of day. Ideas without execution are just dreams.
The Hong Kong Coin Coasters project was one I actually funded and made happen — at a small scale and with a modest budget.
More to come.