Flawed Joyce coin proves popular

A James Joyce commemorative coin featuring a misquote from the author's masterpiece, Ulysses, proved popular with collectors when it went on sale yesterday.

A spokesman for the bank said yesterday evening that about 7,000 coins, of which 10,000 had been minted, had already been sold.

“He’s quite a popular figure so there was always going to be demand for it,” the spokesman said.

The special €10 coin depicts the first lines of chapter three of the novel pouring out of the top of the writer’s head in a stream of consciousness.

Joyce's words read: "Ineluctable modality of the visible: at least that if no more, thought through my eyes. Signatures of all things I am here to read." However, the Central Bank coin mistakenly includes the word 'that' in the second sentence.

Earlier the bank said it regretted the error but added “the coin is an artistic representation of the author and text and not intended as a literal representation”.

Anyone who purchased the collectors’ item – at a cost of €46 – was informed of the error in the text and “anyone who may already have purchased the coin and wishes to return it will be facilitated with a full refund”, the Central Bank said in a statement.