I figured you guys had already discussed this, and I totally see how it would be difficult to fit in. Having the date in binary I think would be a good plan, with Gridcoin having 8 letters, you could have it fit twice around the coin (just the year) or once (year, month, date). I think that would be a lot more important than having the word Gridcoin twice on a side, especially for a one-of-a-kind commemorative coin.
Sorry if I seem like I'm not minding my own business! I'm adding my 2 cents because I think the work done here is impressive. Even if the context of their creation wast lost, these coins would be pretty objects on their own.
The input is more welcome than you know! We want to include as many people in the development and design process as we can. More people = more conversation. More conversation = more ideas. We're still trying to find the best ways to reach as many people as we can. I know the Dev team is working on the same issue regarding dev news. There is talk about updating the client's ability to display Gridcoin related news and updates. This is something I would support down the road.
I also like the idea of having at least some marker in the binary instead of "Gridcoin" -- you're right, this is a special moment in time and that's what we're trying to mark with the coin!
As we have been discussing putting together a little certificate to pair with the coin, an alternative could be to have the date there instead of on the coin.