http://www.coinworld.com/voices/louis-golino/2015/09/ancient_egypt_subjec.html
Ancient Egypt Subject of New Imperial Art Coin
Last year the Mint of Poland launched an extraordinary series of coins with one release per year on the art and architecture of the world’s great ancient civilizations and empires. The series, minted under the legal authority of the island nation of Niue, is called Imperial Art.
Each coin is struck in high relief and is made of 2 ounces of .999 silver with an antique finish and features a natural stone inlay of a different color. The coins have a mintage of just 500 pieces and are individually-numbered on the edge of the coin, and they come in a luxurious wooden box.
The first coin in the series, the Mesopotamia coin, depicted the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon in present-day Iraq, and green-colored agate inlay was used to represent the rich vegetation of that area at the time of the Babylonian, Assyrian, and related empires.
In October the second coin in the series will be released, this time depicting ancient Egypt in all its glory with iconic symbols like the pyramids, the sphinx, and ancient Egyptian temples shown in exquisite detail. The Egypt coin uses a citrine stone inlay to symbolize the sand and desert. Citrine is a naturally-occurring yellow-golden type of quartz.
Ancient Egypt was one of the main cradles of civilization and was located along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now modern Egypt. It left a remarkable legacy of art, culture, and ancient monuments that continue to fascinate people to this day. It was also an early leader in a wide range of fields from agriculture and irrigation to mathematics, science, medicine, literature, shipbuilding, and many others.
The Mesopotamia coin was an impressive achievement in numismatic art that showcased the incredibly talented medallic artists at the Mint of Poland, the mint’s cutting edge technologies, and its almost 250 years of coin production experience.
Now the Egypt coin takes numismatic art to another level by creating another gorgeous coin that shows extremely small details like the hieroglyphics on ancient Egyptian temples. The high relief striking really brings all these design elements to life.
And the large, 50 millimeter diameter provides a substantial palette to depict all the intricate artistic details that adorn both the obverse and the reverse. Unlike British, Canadian, Australian, and other Commonwealth country coins that “lose” an entire side to the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, as collectors often lament, Niue uses a smaller and older effigy, that of Raphael Maklouf, which frees up a lot of space for the artwork.
First Coin Company ( www.firstcoincompany ) is the exclusive USA distributor for the coin, and is also an official worldwide distributor. They are now accepting pre-orders for the coin.
Readers of this column can get a 10% discount off the current price of $269.90 by using the code “WORLDEGYPT”. After adding the item to your cart, simply edit the cart and add the code. Free U.S. and worldwide shipping is included, and First Coin Company will refund you for any duties or import charges if you are assessed any. Also, the code will work for the Mesopotamia coin.
Keep in mind that the Mesopotamia coin sold out of its 500 mintage in record time, and I would not be surprised if the same happens with the Egypt release, especially since it probably has even wider appeal.
You can see a video about the coin here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SgtDhposrg
No comments:
Post a Comment