Every king eventually brings out their own money. The Pendragon crest is naturally on one side, but the King's face normally goes on the other.
And Arthur does that, or intends to. But when he talks to the guy who is meant to get his profile, Arthur can't help but ask what kind of other symbols he could use. At first, he asks if he could put other people on it, then he figures that it would probably be too controversial if he put a face on the coin that isn't his own.
Then he asks if it could be a bird, like his mother's sigil. Originally, he wants to honor her, but then Merlin walks in to gather his clothes and it suddenly strikes him that Merlin has done so much for him, and never gotten any reward.
And Arthur doesn't mean his servant work, Merlin is rubbish at that. But what about his council? His advice? The fact that Merlin always speaks his mind, yet always has Arthur's and Camelot's best interest at heart. The fact that Merlin always goes out of his way to fight alongside Arthur, despite not being a knight.
In an emotional outburst, (after Merlin left again) Arthur orders the coin guy to make the other side of his coin a Merlin.
Right after that, he realizes what he's done and drowns his embarrassment in wine.
A couple weeks later, the money is created and put out into the kingdom. And everyone immediately connects the dots. The symbol is only on the golden one.
The day Merlin finds out is a normal day at first. Only that everyone is staring holes into his head and whispers about him. Merlin has been send to get Arthur's new shirts and hands the tailor a golden coin. He hands it to him, then stops and stares at the crest.
When the going gets tough, the tough get nothing but the very best: all the serotonin money can't buy. So if you, weary traveler, should come to our door this most oppressive Thursday, February 8, like an impoverished Robin Hood fox cartoon, bespectacled, bedraggled, and be shaking a measly tin of coin in our direction, then welcome. Let us fill your tin with all the crumbs we can muster—and then some.
Katniss Everdeen is such a well - written character, like it's actually perfection. And she is literally the epitome of the teenage girl experience, why?. Because she's so clueless about her own abilities, and I'm not talking about like bow and arrow or singing.
Both Gale and Peeta throughout the series mentioned to her that she has no clue "the effect she has on people" which is 100% correct. She doesn't. In catching fire when Finnick and the other tributes were risking their lives for Peeta and herself, she immediately assumed that it was Peeta, that Peeta was the person their willing to give up their lives for, believing that he's what the rebellion needs. Don't get me wrong, that was somewhat true and he is extremely, almost unbelievably likeable. But it's the fact that after all that's happened, people seeing her actions as defiance against the capitol, being the "girl on fire", it never crossed her mind once that she's probably the one they want to keep on their side.
A matter a fact. I personally believe that it's not until, Mockingjay, when she realizes Coin might want her dead once all the districts are united. When Boggs admits that Coin feels threatened by her, because she has influence. Only then do i believe that Katniss Everdeen started to recognize her power, her position, and the effect that she does indeed have on people.