Third four-layer concave silver coin debuts the impressive domed ceiling of the US Capitol building

German dealer MDM has launched the third in its impressive concave coins showcasing some of the incredible ceilings that adorn many iconic buildings around the globe. The first coin took the Temple of Heaven in the Forbidden City as its subject matter, the second the incredible domed ceiling in St. Peters Basilica in Rome. Both were issued for the Commonwealth state, the Cook Islands.

This third coin has changed issuer and now comes from Samoa, but as that’s also a Commonwealth country, the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II remains on the obverse, even down to being the same Ian Rank-Broadley penned version. So it’s all about the reverse face with its deep concave design. This isn’t a domed coin ironically, the obverse is flat with all the depth being limited to the reverse face. These are struck with what MDM claim is a ‘four-layered’ technique, which seems to offer an inordinate amount of depth, some 5 mm overall, which even allowing for the 100 g (just over three ounces) weight is quite extraordinary for a coin. The depth doesn’t have the kind of abrupt changes in level that make Choice Mint’s Asgard Max-relief series stand out, nor does it approach SmartMinting, but it looks great regardless.

At 55 mm in diameter, it’s a good-sized coin, especially with the thickness required to make the depth possible, and an attractive one. It lacks the drama of the previous two coins because the ceiling in the US Capitol is more uniform and symmetrical than its older compatriots, but the quality of the one we saw in Berlin was extremely high and it’s a credit to a highly regarded series. There are a couple of images further down of the samples that we took at last weeks World Money Fair.

Packaging of the silver coin is simpler and less ‘special’ than the first two, eschewing customisation for a standard themed box and shipper. Only 999 will be struck. There was a gold version on show in Berlin, but MDM have yet to release details. Earlier versions have also been 100 grams in weight but with a smaller 45 mm diameter due to golds increased density meaning less metal is needed to make the same weight. We’ve added the specification of those to the chart below as it’s likely to remain the same, but consider it tentative in the meantime. A classy coin, we can imagine this being popular in the USA where this building is under-represented on numismatics. Available shortly. Site sponsors First Coin Company and Powercoin have it up for pre-order right now.

2017 UNITED STATES CAPITOL BUILDING SILVER COIN

THE U.S. CAPITOL BUILDING

The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol Building or Capitol Hill, is the home of the United States Congress, and the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. It sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The original building was completed in 1800 and was subsequently expanded, particularly with the addition of the massive dome. Like the principal buildings of the executive and judicial branches, the Capitol is built in a distinctive neoclassical style and has a white exterior.

The United States Capitol dome is the dome situated above the United States Capitol which reaches upwards to 88 m in height and 29 m in diameter. The dome was designed by Thomas U. Walter, the fourth Architect of the Capitol, and constructed between 1855 and 1866 at a cost of $1,047,291 (equivalent to $232 million in 2015). The dome is not stone, but cast iron carefully painted to appear to be made of the same stone as the main capitol building. It is actually two domes, one inside the other, and the total weight is 6,400 t.

On March 3, 1855, President Franklin Pierce signed off on the appropriation of $100,000 (equivalent to $38.9 million in 2015) to build the dome. By December 2, 1863, Walter was able to set the Statue of Freedom atop the dome. This was not accomplished until after Walter had been forced to revise the design to handle the statue, which had been delivered taller and heavier than requested. Yet, the man who designed it did not see its total completion, because Thomas Walter resigned in 1865. His replacement, Edward Clark, assumed the role of finishing the last aspects and just over a month later, in January 1866, Constantino Brumidi—who had been hired to paint a fresco on a platform above the interior dome’s oculus—removed the scaffolding used during his work on the Apotheosis of Washington.

The Apotheosis of Washington is visible through the oculus of the dome in the rotunda and is suspended 55 m above the rotunda floor. It covers an area of 433.3 m². The figures painted are up to 4.6 m tall and are visible from the floor below. The dome was completed in 1863, and Brumidi painted it over the course of 11 months at the end of the Civil War. He was paid $40,000 ($625,826 in today’s funds) for the fresco.

OBVERSE AND PRESENTATION

MINTS DESCRIPTION

  • The successful 4-Layer Series continues with an iconic building: the home of the United States Congress – the United States Capitol on 100 g pure Silver with Antique Finish!
  • The deepest relief ever creates a unique 3D-effect showing astonishing details.
  • The first two issues of the series were sold out within a few days – so hurry up!

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COIN IMAGES FROM THE 2017 WORLD MONEY FAIR

SPECIFICATION

NAME 2017 US CAPITOL SILVER 2017 US CAPITOL GOLD
DENOMINATION $10 Palau $100 Palau*
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver 0.999 gold
WEIGHT 100.0 grams 100.0 grams*
DIAMETER 55.0 mm 45.0 mm*
FINISH Antique Reverse-proof*
MODIFICATIONS 4-Layer concave 4-Layer concave
MINTAGE 999 49*
BOX / COA Yes / Yes Yes / Yes

* Tentative information to be confirmed

MINT LINK