Multi-award winning Tiffany Art coin series goes back to the 1300’s for its 13th release

Having just returned from another jaunt to the German capital for the World Money Fair, it seems only right to kick off our coverage of the new releases with what has become the poster child for the high-end commemorative coin market, Tiffany Art. Now on it’s thirteenth almost consecutive release (there was no coin in 2006), each coin is eagerly anticipated and this year, despite the increased quality and quantity of the competition, is no exception.

When the tenth anniversary coin debuted, Coin Invest Trust (CIT) decided to expand the range with a one-kilogram version of the regular two-ounce coin. A quite stunning piece, we’re fortunate that the practice continued and again, the 2017 has launched in both the regular and the chunkier formats. For the subject matter, this regarded coin producer has gone further back in history than usual to the quite beautiful early fourteenth-century cathedral at Wells in Somerset, England. The cathedral is widely considered to be the first example of decorated gothic cathedral in existence – it’s certainly one of the finest ever built.

For those unfamiliar with this landmark series, each coin depicts an example of a particular architectural style, initially it started in quite a generic way, but as time went by has focused on specific structures to highlight the best examples of each type. The main coin is a two-ounce antique-finished fine silver round issued for the Pacific island micronation of Palau, except the 2004 and 2005 issues that were for Liberia. The standout feature has always been, as the series name suggests, a piece of Tiffany glass in the form of a window though the coin, each piece being distinctly unique. It’s characterful, especially with the window sympathetically integrated into the design, more so this year with the shape following the perspective of the artwork. Each face is full of intricate detail, even more so lately with the introduction of SmartMinting, CIT and BH Mayer’s brilliant new striking technology. High-relief has always been used to enhance these brilliantly.

There’s plenty of competition in this genre now, but Tiffany has managed to stay at the top and this years coin will do little to harm that position. As usual, just 999 of the smaller coin and 99 of the larger will be produced. All are very well presented in custom boxes. These aren’t cheap coins but they are of the highest quality so value is relative. Site sponsors PowerCoin, Pela-Coins, First Coin Company and World Ancient Coins all sell this range. If you want to read more about this series, we have a full coin series profile available.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, commonly known as Wells Cathedral, is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset built between 1175 and 1490, replacing an earlier church built on the same site in 705. It is moderately sized among the medieval cathedrals of England, between those of massive proportion such as Lincoln and York and the smaller cathedrals in Oxford and Carlisle. With its broad west front and large central tower, it is the dominant feature of its small cathedral city and has been described as “unquestionably one of the most beautiful” and as “the most poetic” of English cathedrals.

The cathedral’s architecture presents a harmonious whole which is entirely Gothic and mostly in the Early English style of the late 12th and early 13th centuries. In this respect Wells differs from most other English medieval cathedrals, which have parts in the earlier Romanesque style introduced to Britain by the Normans in the 11th century.

Work commenced in about 1175 at the east end with the building of the choir. The historian John Harvey considers it to be the first truly Gothic structure in Europe, having broken from the last constraints of Romanesque. The stonework of its pointed arcades and fluted piers is enriched by the complexity of pronounced mouldings and the vitality of its carved capitals in a foliate style known as “stiff leaf”. Its exterior has an Early English façade displaying more than 300 sculpted figures. The east end retains much ancient stained glass, which is rare in England.

Unlike many English cathedrals of monastic foundation, Wells has an exceptional number of surviving secular buildings associated with its chapter of secular canons, including the Bishop’s Palace and Vicars’ Close, a residential street that has remained intact since the 15th century. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building.