Following on from their 2013 UHR Pyramids coin that incorporated sand from the Great Pyramids, British private company, the Pobjoy Mint has just introduced a brand-new sequel to that popular coin with one featuring the pyramids eternal guardian, the Sphinx. Continuing the Egyptian theme and the striking in an ultra-high relief style, the coin comes with some excellent themed packaging.

The artwork on the reverse side is very well chosen enhancing the three-dimensionality of the deep relief, that in places reaches several millimetres. With the leg of the Sphinx almost appearing to stand out from the coin it’s quite cleverly done. The packaging is triangular, along with the certificate, maintaining that pyramidal look.  There’s no inset sand this time, but looking at the artwork there doesn’t seem a place to put it without upsetting the balance of the design, so that actually seems a good thing this time.

A nice companion piece to the pyramid coin (one that’s almost sold out now), it keeps the same price of £199.17 (minus taxes), so while not a budget buy, the low mintage and unusual design make this a step-up from the ordinary. With Egyptian-themed coins seeming to be getting popular again, we’re sure this will find plenty of buyers. Available now.

The amazing picture above is one of Wikipedia’s finest and is of the original excavation of the Sphinx back around 1878.

[himage] [/himage]

MINTS DESCRIPTION

The Great Sphinx is one of the Wonders of Ancient Egypt and following on from the huge success of the Ultra High Relief Pyramids coin last year and carrying on the Egyptian theme, the British Virgin Islands Government has approved the release of a new Ultra High Relief coin featuring this amazing monument.

 Built more than 4,500 years ago, the Great Sphinx is now one of the best-known symbols of Egypt, yet nobody knows its true meaning or what ancient secrets it might hold.  The limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with a lion’s body and a human head, stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt.  It is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing 20.22 metres high and 73.5 metres long and it is also the oldest known monumental sculpture, commonly believed to have been built by the ancient Egyptians during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafra (around 2558-2532 BC).

The Sphinx has been a symbol of Egypt from ancient times to the present.  It has inspired the imaginations of artists, poets, adventurers, scholars and travellers for centuries and has also inspired endless speculation about its age and meaning.

To replicate the Sphinx’s towering height, the ultra high relief coin creates a three-dimensional image that rises majestically above the coin’s surface.  The coin even shows the damage to the nose that was believed to have been caused by a cannonball fired by Napoleon’s soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars!  With the highest point being 4-5mm above the surface, the coin is a stunning feat of engineering as was the original statue.

Available as a 1oz Fine Silver, the obverse of the coin features an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.  Each coin is detailed to perfection and struck to the highest quality and is presented in a beautiful triangular shaped gold box reminiscent of the pyramids which surround the monument.