The last in the Perth Mints Goddesses of Olympus range features the antithesis of the last coins Greek Goddess of war, Athena with a head on over to the realm of love and its own goddess, Aphrodite. Known to the Romans as Venus, Aphrodite is often broken into two serperate entities, Aphrodite Ourania, the celestial Aphrodite, born from the sea foam after Cronus castrated Uranus, and Aphrodite Pandemos, the common Aphrodite “of all the folk”, born from the union of Zeus and Dione. Among the neo-Platonists and, later, their Christian interpreters, Aphrodite Ourania is associated with spiritual love, and Aphrodite Pandemos with physical love (desire).

This is the sixth coin in this style to be released by the Perth Mint, and the last of the three making up the Goddesses series. The Gods series covered the three big guns of Greek mythology, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. The Goddesses series will also encompass three coins; Hera,  Athena, and now Aphrodite. Like the previous five releases, these are Tom Vaughan designed, rimless, 20z, antique-finish coins. The format since was closely mimicked by Scottsdale with its epic Bible series of ten sets of six coins to be released over the next decade, and in our view it’s actually a really fine format for the genre.

These have all appreciated on the secondary market, some quite heavily, although not to the high levels that the first coin in the gods series, Zeus did, and we see no reason this one won’t also rise. The artwork is liked by the majority who love the stylistic design as offering something new for the genre, but like all ground-breakers, a few aren’t so keen. It’s different, and as you all know, we consider different approaches to design essential to maintain interest in modern numismatics. The subject matter has exploded in popularity since the series debuted in early 2014, reaching new peaks of design and quality in the process.

As beautifully packaged in the custom wooden box the series has become known for, Aphrodite is available now for AU$179.00 on the Perth Mint website, which is reachable by clicking the button at the bottom of the article.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

The third, and final, coin in the exciting Goddesses of Olympus coin series features Aphrodite. In ancient Greek mythology, Aphrodite was worshipped as the Goddess of Love, Pleasure and Beauty, exciting passion in the hearts of gods and men.

According to Greek legend, Aphrodite was born out of the sea after Cronus castrated Uranus and threw his genitals into the ocean. The water began to bubble and foam in the spot where Uranus himself had also plunged, and suddenly, a beautiful maiden rose up from the sea foam. The woman, Aphrodite, floated to the shores of Cyprus on a giant scallop shell.

Struck by The Perth Mint from 99.9% pure silver, the coin is issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Tuvalu.

DESIGN: The reverse of the coin depicts Aphrodite sitting on the beach at Aphrodite’s Rock surrounded by scallop shells, holding a mirror in her left hand, with a dove perched on her right hand. She is accompanied by a swan and three dolphins, with the ocean and clouds in the background. The design also includes the inscription APHRODITE, and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark.

The obverse of the coin portrays the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the monetary denomination, and the 2015 year-date.

To capture the depth and detail of the design, the coin is struck in high relief to a rimless format and features an antique finish, which gives the coin an aged affect.

PACKAGING: The coin is housed in a prestigious round wooden display case, with stunning detail on its lid and packaged in a beautifully illustrated shipper.

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SPECIFICATION