A 17th century Japanese warriors helmet is featured on the second ‘To Protect’ silver coin from Coin’s Today

Showcasing some of the esoteric, but nevertheless impressive forms of headgear from throughout the history of war, ‘To Protect’ is a series of two-ounce, antique-finished silver coins, replete with high-relief and some gilding. The first issue, which debuted last June, featured an early 16th century helm called a Burgonet, worn by cavalry soldiers like the famous Polish Hussars.

For the second coin, we head on over to Japan, but instead of a traditional Samurai helmet, we have a more unusual piece. Dated to the 17th century, we have a helmet combining elements of Japanese and European styles. Decorated in the Japanese style, but shaped after felt hats worn by the Namban (southern barbarians), the name given to Europeans at the time. Made of iron and silk, they were exquisitely decorated.

The helmet on the coin is modelled after an example held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. A gorgeous work of art, in pristine condition, it was fabricated in the 17th century, and weighs just shy of 2.5 kilograms. The helmet is reproduced in high-relief, and fully gilded, doing a decent job of getting much of the original’s detail in, despite the relatively tiny size. The background field carries a battle scene, filled with mounted and infantry samurai.

The obverse carries three concentric rings, each filled with patterned floral imagery. At the centre is placed the coat-of-arms of the Republic of Chad. The coin will come boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, and has a mintage of 525 pieces. An interesting take on military history, the coin is available to order now.