Coining it in with off-the-cuff Irish designs

There was a time before bailouts and the Euro when the Punt was our currency of choice, and one company has a polished approach to the coinage that predates the cent.

Bailouts, bond markets, Brian Cowen. Our fiscal situation does little to inspire us as we crash and burn our way towards the arse end of 2010.

But one company is doing good business by using the money of old to inspire them into making nifty little objects that your average discerning Irish man would do well to own.

The company is www.worldcoincufflinks.com and their product is a smart range of cufflinks made from discarded old currency - silver coins from the days of the punt, to be precise.

Actually, this Irish company produce cufflinks from the coins of a number of mostly defunct currencies (19 in all), but in these cash-strapped times it's our own lost currency that we're the most attached to.

Dramas like Mad Men may have reinvigorated interest in cufflinks, but they've always been the shirt fastner of choice of the more discerning gent.

These cufflinks are hand polished and mounted, cleaned and hand polished, then presented in a silver presentation box.

They're great looking items with the added bonus of having a bit of character. Importantly, they're not too harsh on the pocket, retailing for just €39 per pair.

Nick Bradshaw