Daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, Medusa was the most famous of the Gorgon sisters. Female, winged, ugly, and with hair formed of poisonous snakes, Medusa is one of the most iconic monsters in Greek mythology. The only one of the three Gorgon sisters to be mortal, anyone who looked into her eyes was turned instantly to stone. In the myth she was said to have been a beautiful, golden-haired maiden, a priestess of Athena living a life of celibacy. She was wooed by the god Poseidon and forgetting her vows, married him.

Athena punished her by turning her hair into venomous snakes, her eyes into a blood-shot stare, and her skin into a harsh greenish parody of its former beauty. Seeing herself, Medusa fled, to wander Africa, dreaded and shunned by all. She became a hateful creature that matched her looks, until killed by the Greek hero Perseus who beheaded her. Perseus used her head to turn his enemies into stone until he gave it to Athena to place on her shield.

The coin features Perseus holding up the just severed head of Medusa. He killed her by watching her reflection in a polished shield, which can be seen below her head. The armour Perseus is wearing is gilded, as is his sword, and it’s all complimented by some well-chosen colour against an antiqued finish. The design is impressive, with the use of perspective, boosted by the high-relief, lifting it considerably.

One Thousand and One Nights, more commonly known as the Arabian Nights, was a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled over several centuries, with some dating back to ancient times. It was first published in English in the early 18th century, proving popular, and was largely a translation of the Pahlavi Persian work Hezār Afsān (Persian: A Thousand Tales).

One of the most famous tales within it is about the seven voyages of Sinbad, a fictional mariner from Baghdad during the 8th/9th century Abbasid Caliphate). Journeying around the seas east of Africa and south of Asia, he described fantasy adventures in magical realms, encountering monsters and witnessing supernatural phenomena. The story is narrated by a rich man called Sinbad, describing how he attained his wealth, to a poor porter, also named Sinbad.

It’s a classic work, and the coin is issued as part of the Fabulous Stories series, joining two previous coins featuring Aladdin, and Beauty & the Beast. This one is terrific, in my opinion, with a packed composition employing the usual gilding and colour. There are little nods to the various voyages, like the Cyclops, and Sinbad is seen closely examining a green crystal. T & S have issued some superb literature-themed coins, particularly Don Quixote and Alice in Wonderland, and I actually feel this one would’ve fitted better into that series based on the design here. As I said, this one is very appealing to me, and the best I’ve seen this story done on a coin.