Fauna in the Cultural Monuments of Ukraine silver coin series continues with the gilded Tour

Home of the Archangel Michael bullion coin, Ukraine also puts out a selection of precious metal commemorative coins every year, in fact there are ten silver coins due to be launched throughout 2017, including two more entrants in the series we’re looking at today. Fauna in Cultural monuments of Ukraine is an intriguing series that first debuted late last year with the release of three coins. Todays release is the fourth.

Showcasing depictions of animals in art throughout Ukrainian history, it’s already looked at different periods from the fourth century BCE right through to the eleventh century AD. Coin four is called Tour and heads back farther than the series has ever gone, right back into prehistory. Showing various incarnations of the Bull in early Ukrainian civilisation, the obverse face features a pair of artifacts that date back well over five millenia. One of them, the bone plate, has been gilded, something that’s a signature of the series.

The reverse is cleanly struck and depicts a bull, behind which is a view of the cave art from “Stone Grave”, a state historical and archaeological reserve on the banks of the River Dairy 20 km north of Melitopol. In the 68 grottoes and caves that make up the site, over 3,000 images from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age adorn various surfaces, a fantastic display of primitive art. One in particular, the Grotto of the Ox, is a gallery of fascinating animal imagery.

Struck in ½oz of sterling (0.925) silver, this is a great coin with an immensely interesting subject matter. The previous trio from 2016 featured the Peacock, the Wolf and the Deer. Yet to come in 2017 are the Lion and the Snake, the former in April, the latter in May. Each comes boxed and should be available to pick up now. A series we’ll keep an eye on and one we’d suggest taking a look at. The mintage is set at 4,000.

2017 TOUR, FAUNA IN THE CULTURAL MONUMENTS OF UKRAINE SILVER COIN

MINTS DESCRIPTION

OBVERSE: above the small State Emblem of Ukraine and the inscription UKRAINE, year of issue 2017 and face value 5 / UAH; Tripoli unique monuments of culture: in the center – gilded bone plate as head of the bull-round (Ternopil, 3700 – 3500 years BC. e.), right – ritual vessel with the head of the tour. Element decoration, gilt local content of gold purity not less than 0.0002 g

REVERSE: On the coin depicts the head round (left) and a fragment of rock paintings depicting tour and goats from Stone Graves (Zaporizhia region) (right), in grottoes and caves which contained several thousand petroglyphs – rock carvings dating from the wide historical range from the late Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. Right on the background of the picture is vertical inscription TOUR.

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SPECIFICATION

NAME 2017 TOUR CULTURAL MONUMENT
DENOMINATION 5 Hryvnia
COMPOSITION 0.925 silver
WEIGHT 15.55 grams
DIAMETER 33.0 mm
FINISH Special uncirculated
MODIFICATIONS Gilding
MINTAGE 4,000
BOX / COA Yes / Yes

MINT LINK