Art Mint’s impeccable Mandala Art series draws cultural inspiration from the Indian subcontinent for its ninth issue

We’ve made no secret of our admiration for Art Mint’s long-running ‘Mandala Art’ series, and it’s been great to see the series increase in detail over the years as modern minting technology has moved forward. Early issues had intricate designs, but in recent years, not only has detail increased, but the growth in the implementation of high-relief has added an extra dimension to the finished article.

Continuing the trend for sweeping lines of sharply defined high-relief that first came to prominence with the 2020 Persian Mandala, the 2023 coin draws inspiration from that petal-like style that helps define Indian culture. A series of concentric rings of Indian petals emanates from a piece of polished amber set into the centre of the reverse face. They rise and fall on their journey to the raised rim, each maintaining their uniformity in that class Mandala style. It’s all very elegant and impeccably realised.

The smooth and heavy rim has always suited this series, in our opinion, and it does dual duty in carrying an engraved serial number on it. The obverse has never been exciting, carrying just the usual Fijian coat-of-arms on it, along with the issue details. It does allow the reverse face to remain blissfully free of intrusive inscriptions, however, something we always appreciate here.

Another terrific entrant in one of the most elegant of modern coin series. It’s been good to watch the producer successfully integrate architectural and cultural styles from around the world into the mandala concept without compromise. The coin comes boxed with a C.O.A., and has a mintage of 500 pieces. Every previous entrant in the Mandala Art series has sold out at the mint, and we can see no reason this won’t join them quickly. It will be great to see where they go from here. Perhaps, the Mesoamerican cultures, or the runic look of the Norsemen. We shall wait and see. This one is available now, and we’ve added it to our Coin Series Profile of the range, which has just been revamped with our latest look.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $10 Fiji
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver
WEIGHT 93.3 grams
DIMENSIONS 50.0 mm
FINISH Antique
MODIFICATIONS High-relief, Inset Amber stone, engraved serial on edge
MINTAGE 500
BOX / C.O.A. Yes / Yes