Any era, any country (except US-we would be inundated with state quarters). Obverse and reverse-can't have just one ugly side. What is ugly? In the eye of the beholder perhaps, but you have to have reasons backing up your selection and be prepared to articulate them. An unflattering portrait doesn't count-this is about overall design. Ugly based on crude or poor minting methods shouldn't count either. For me it's KM#940 10 Francs 1974-1987 which I've hated since it came out. The obverse is much too busy, with a stylized outline of the country, a highly ornate RF, a sunburst from the location of Paris and other small symbols which add to the clutter. The reverse has always suggested to me (for some reason) Ayn Rand. The Art Deco factory profile leaves me cold. That, combined with a flat strike and the awful marriage of Nickel-Brass (which I think resembles you-know what when it tones) are the reasons for my selection.
And I thought that US coins were ugly...... phew! The reverse makes me think of an industrial poster of some sort. I don't see how anything can top this one.....
Really? I like the design, one of the few I got as a kid when I started collecting and actually kept & still own! Special Olympics Half Dollar with Eunice Kennedy Shriver is one of the ugilest coins, ever!
I'm not a fan of the Barber dime, quarter and half designs. I never knew the obverse was a female liberty... It always looked like a man to me.
Unlike the smaller dollar coins that some day might get circulated, the Ike dollar is visually unappealing and too heavy for circulation.
Interesting thread. I think the 1792 Half Disme is one ugly coin. But I still love them for their History. Here's one of the tribute medals I have in Silver. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1792_half_disme
Seriously, do a google image search for "tuvalu coins" and "niue coins." It's not pretty. (Just FYI, one of the Tuvalu coins has a spider on it.) Tuvalu's circulation coinage is okay, but their zillions of gimmicky "commemoratives"... ugh.