Tuesday, August 21, 2007

2007 Britannia Silver Proof Four-Coin Collection

The 2007 Britannia Silver Proof Four-Coin Collection is an outstanding collection of coins.

It was only 20 years ago that the first Britannia gold bullion coins were struck and now the opportunity is here for collectors to add this fine silver proof set to their collections.

According to the British Royal Mint, “The coins are struck in .958 Britannia silver, a higher standard than .925 sterling silver. The Britannia standard was introduced as a consequence of the recoinage of William III in 1696 in an attempt to limit the clipping and melting of sterling silver coinage.”

“The 2007 Britannia Collection Silver Proof Four-Coin Set is distinguished by a scintillating mirror finish achieved by painstaking polishing of the die using a fine diamond paste. This forms the perfect backdrop for Britannia, rendered expertly in frosted relief by engravers at the Royal Mint.”

The silver proof four coin set consists of coin denominations of £2, £1 50p and 20p coins. Each has the artist Christopher Le Brun’s brand new image of Britannia.

Britannia has long symbolized Britain and her proud heritage since the time of Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD).Possibly even the Roman rulers were inspired by the example of Boadicea, the warrior queen of the Iceni people, whom they had defeated in 60/61 AD in pursuit of their conquest.

In his new design for 2007, Royal Academician Christopher Le Brun RA has masterfully blended a traditional theme with a line at once modern and full of classical allusions.

Housed in a fine-grained leather presentation case, the coins carry on their obverse the familiar portrait of Her Majesty the Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.

Each set has a certificate of authenticity and is struck to a rigorous proof quality and costs £115.00 each.

This fine 2007 Britannia Silver Proof Four-Coin Collection will make an excellent addition for any serious coin collector.

Friday, August 17, 2007

World’s First Pure Silver ‘Orbital’ Coin

The Perth Mint is launches the world’s first pure silver 'Orbital' coin on September the 10th. This new revolutionary new design concept – the 'Orbital' coin takes coin making to an entirely new level.

According to the Perth Mint, "The coin celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Sputnik, which was launched by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The first man-made satellite to orbit the world, Sputnik’s success triggered the Space Race and efforts to realise the ultimate dream of landing men on the Moon."

Struck by The Perth Mint in proof quality, the coin comprises 1oz of 99.9% pure silver.

The coin’s colored reverse depicts the famous satellite in orbit. Thanks to the unique construction of the ‘orbital’ coin, Sputnik, the Russian word for satellite, literally revolves around an image of the Earth. The design also incorporates the border inscription SPUTNIK 50TH ANNIVERSARY 1957-2007.

Most coins are housed in a capsule but in this case the coin is coated with a transparent wear-resistant finish which allows you to orbit the Sputnik around the Earth without contaminating the proof quality of the coin.

The coin is housed in an elliptical-shaped silver display case. The case comes in a blue box shipper with a lid depicting Sputnik and its name in English and Russian. It is issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of the Cook Islands. The coin's obverse depicts the Raphael Maklouf effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the monetary denomination surrounding another colored image of the Earth.

Each coin is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity and the Perth Mint will release no more than 25,000 ‘orbital’ coins celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Sputnik.

The world’s first pure silver 'Orbital' coin will be a unique coin to add to any coin collectors collection.