To say that the concept of death has been an outsize influence on many civilisations throughout history would be something of an understatement. From the earliest cultures of Mesopotamia, and across all inhabited continents, whole societies have been driven by the afterlife, often because rulers and religions claiming a say in where their subjects went after death, leveraged it to maintain ultimate power. Not all feared death, many seeing it rightly as just part of the natural process, but all account for it.

Coins & More’s ‘Figures of Death’ series, showcases some of the prominent characters in the old cultures, that played an outsized part in the legend of death. The first coin featured the Grim Reaper, a figure still believed to be real by a worrying large number of people today. This second release heads back to the Mesoamerican civilisation of the Aztecs, and their Lady of Death, Mictēcacihuātl, who, along with her husband, Mictlāntēcutli, ruled over the lowest level of the Aztec underworld, Mictlān. She kept watch over the bones of the dead, and was mortal, not a god.

Mictēcacihuātl, also known as Lady Micte in her modern Mexican form, would be instantly recognisable to followers of the Day of the Dead, the Día de los Muertos, over which she presides. She is depicted with a skeletal visage, the Calaveras, which is extensively adorned with colour, flowers, and jewellery. The depiction on the coin is just stunning, with her feathered headdress filling the coin as one would expect a peacock to do so. It’s replete with Aztec-style adornments, as is Micte herself. Her face, along with some of those adornments, is richly coloured, drawing the eye to her beauty, and creating that necessary focal point.

Although it’s part of the Figures of Death collection, the unique design also extends to the obverse, with a custom design in the modern -style of Día de los Muertos, complete with a sugar skull shrine, with skeletal figures. Even the necessary emblem of the issuing country, Cameroon, is well integrated into the scene. It’s a fine companion to that outstanding reverse face, which remains the star for me.

The attention to detail extends to the presentation as well, and this series is shaping up to have some of the best on the market today. A wooden box, styled like a book, and with intricately carved decoration on it, holds the coin. The style is similar to the Grim Reaper coin, but again, it’s uniquely coloured and decorated, as is the heavily themed tarot-style certificate of authenticity. The serial number is engraved on the coin edge. All together, this is a gorgeous release, and clearly a labour of love. Only 250 of these high-relief, two-ounce silver coins will be struck, and it will be the fortunate collector that gets one. Available to order right now.