After five issues, CIT’s outstanding Historical Monuments series is wrapping up. Using double-faced high-relief, the range showcases some of the most iconic monuments around the world, starting in 2022 with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, before moving through the Temple of Heaven, the Eiffel Tower, and the Taj Mahal, before ending on the design we’re looking at here, the Jefferson Memorial.

The choice of this Washington D.C. building, created from 1939-1943, is particularly apt given 2026 is a big year for the US with its 250th anniversary celebrations. Built to honour the author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, it’s a much-loved location in the US, and the building makes a perfect structure for this coin style.

A beautiful design to finish up on, the depth of detail on both faces is first class, and everything from the steps leading up to the building, to the statue buried within it, are perfectly realised. There are two and five ounce versions, and we’re pleased to say the differences between them are negligible, so don’t worry you’re missing out with the smaller format. It’s a real shame to see this series wrap up, but at least it’s going out on a high. We’ll definitely be doing a Coin Series Profile of this series when time permits.

One of the absolute legends of the modern numismatic world, Tiffany Art mixed architectural styles with an inset window of Tiffany glass, to create one of the most successful series of all time. That series ended in 2020, and in 2021 was succeeded by Metropolis, itself concluding in 2025 after five issues. Now it’s back with a new series closer in concept to the original range, but with a twist.

The basic design harks back to later issues of the original range, with the facade of a famous building getting reproduced with incredible levels of detail. Here, however, the Tiffany glass window is used as a portal, taking the viewer from one structure on the reverse face, to another on the obverse. For this first coin, CIT have placed Milan Cathedral on one side, and St. Ludmila Church in Prague, on the other. As you can see, both are exceptionally fine examples of religious architecture. The glass window is integrated into both faces, and as a nice touch, features the silhouette of a woman in the portal.

Until you hold one of these in the hand, it’s hard to describe just how impressive they are. Even better, the three-ounce coin gives away almost nothing over the kilogram version, keeping all the fine detail. It’s a striking example of just what smartminting can do with smaller amounts of metal. An outstanding debut, this will no doubt join earlier series in picking up awards.

CIT have issued coins before that feature the legend that is Chinggis Khaan, in fact, one of them was amongst the first to utilise their new smartminting techniques back in 2016, as the first in the excellent Revolutionaries series. That coin was based on an incredible statue of Khan on horseback, the world’s tallest equestrian statue, and this new coin is similarly based on a statue, this time seated on a throne, and located in the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, in Ulaanbaatar.

The statue is around seven metres tall, built of marble and bronze, and liberally gilded with Mongolian gold. It depicts a young Khaan, in 1189, full of life, ready to embark on what would be one of the bloodiest campaigns of conquest in world history. It’s a good reproduction of a somewhat gaudy and nationalistic work, and for me, it looks the best in gold. The obverse is gorgeous, depicting an eagle over the Mongolian steppe. A similar sunburst pattern to that on the reverse face fills the sky. The bird is rendered beautifully, with perhaps some shades of John Mercanti’s work.

There are three variants, with a one-ounce gold, and a similarly sized silver coin being the stars. However, I’m mightily pleased to see a half-gram minigold. The format has become rare at CIT, but I’m hoping the ridiculous rise in the spot price of gold may herald an increased popularity. This particular design looks terrific in hand, although sadly, the eagle is missing on the obverse, for the obvious reasons. Overall, a nice return to a classic CIT theme.

An all-new concept for CIT in the Winter Launch was this clever and unusual view of one of the most famous locations in Paris, the Arc de Triomphe. Rather than take a pure architectural approach, the building is pictured in its location, fully contextualised with its surrounding area. The Arc de Triomphe sits on the island of a roundabout, a huge and chaotic one at the heart of Paris, and an important infrastructure hub.

The coin takes a three-dimensional, overhead view, with an angled perspective. High-relief is used to depict the buildings that line the streets radiating away from the Arc de Triomphe, and each of the twelve avenues is inscribed with its name. The coin employs a black proof finish to replicate a nocturnal look, and vibrant colouring simulates the heavy lighting of the city and its vehicles, almost looking like a lava flow. You can see in the photograph above just how accurate that look is.

A quirky view of a monumental legend, it’s a fine example of just why CIT is so highly regarded for its creativity. It isn’t a view that immediately springs to mind, but it is one that works very well in a numismatic context.