Allcollect taps into the mystery around the Egyptian queen, Nefertiti, with an impressive high-relief silver coin
Almost a genre all of its own, Ancient Egypt has captivated the world for centuries, leaving behind breathtaking monuments, art, literature, and artifacts. It’s allowed us to form a picture of this millennia-spanning civilisation unlike no other from the time. Amongst the objects left behind, several have achieved global superstar status. Chief amongst them are the Rosetta Stone, the tomb of Tutankhamun (especially the golden death mask), and the bust of Queen Nefertiti.
The last of those has adorned multiple coins before, some quite expensive and richly decorated, but it’s hard to beat the elegant simplicity of high-relief and antique finishing. European producer, Allcollect, obviously agree, and have released this beautiful three-ounce silver coin. The reverse face enjoys the bulk of the high-relief, and employs it wisely, giving us an extraordinary reproduction of the original; bust, now sitting in the Neues Museum, Berlin. It looks superb to our eye, and suits the oval shape of the coin well. The background is replete with hieroglyphics, laid out just as the Egyptians did, including what looks to be here cartouche to the right side.
The obverse also utilises some high-relief, although not to the same extent, and shows us the bust from the side, overlaid on an attractive reproduction of tomb art depicting the queen. The national coat-of-arms of Djibouti sits in a ring-fenced circular area, and actually appears to suit the coin quite well, certainly not an eyesore distraction like some others we could mention.
A mintage of 1,999 units is generous for a three-ounce coin, but it’s a very popular subject, and this is a very attractive design, with tons of appeal. It comes boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, and is available to order now. A terrific release.
NEFERTITI
Nefertiti was an ancient Egyptian queen who lived during the 14th century BC. She was the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, and played a significant role in the religious revolution he initiated, moving the capital of Egypt to Amarna and promoting the worship of the sun-disk god, Aten. She was renowned for her beauty, as evidenced by the famous bust that was discovered in the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose, and depicted in many other works of art during her lifetime, including reliefs, statues, and hieroglyphic inscriptions.
It’s believed that Nefertiti had six daughters with Akhenaten, and that she may have been a co-regent with her husband during the latter part of his reign. However, her ultimate fate is uncertain, and it is not clear whether she outlived her husband or died during his reign. Despite the lack of information about her later life and death, Nefertiti remains an iconic figure in ancient Egyptian history and continues to capture the imagination of people around the world.
| SPECIFICATION | |
| DENOMINATION | 200 Francs (Djibouti) |
| COMPOSITION | 93.3 g of 0.999 silver |
| DIMENSIONS | 40.0 x 60.0 mm |
| FINISH | Antique |
| MODIFICATIONS | Ultra high-relief |
| MINTAGE | 1,999 |
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