Carpathian Mint’s ‘Angels and Demons’ series moves to the side of light with warrior Archangel, Michael

Saint Michael the Archangel, is known and revered across many of the world’s biggest religions, dating back to at least the 3rd century BCE. Often associated with apocalyptic events, he is a warrior, most famous for his battle with Satan during the War in Heaven, during which the followers of Satan were beaten and banished to Earth. He’s a popular figure in the numismatic world, right down to Ukraine having him on their national bullion coin, as well as a whole host of varied representations.

Last year, what is now the Carpathian Mint, issued the first in its ‘Angels & Demons’ series, with a fine Lucifer design. A classic, restrained depiction, it placed him in a scene of battle from the war with the angels. Now, the tables have turned, and it’s the Archangel Michael, with the angel army, taking centre stage, and another fine piece, Michael is shown at the head of his army, gilded sword pointing the way, directing the angelic heavy mob down for the punch-up to end all punch-ups.

Full of dynamism and a sense of power, it’s a terrific counterpart to the first issue. If you’ve an interest in the stories in the religious texts, and you don’t have to be religious yourself to do so, this should scratch an itch. The breadth and intensity of the original story is certainly brought to life on the reverse, and if that were the poster, we’d be queueing up for the movie, as long as Arnie was in it…

The interesting obverse, with its Heaven v Hell transformation, returns, complete with the coat-of-arms of Niue at the bottom. A nice design that suits the theme well. The coin will come boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, and has a mintage of 500 pieces. It’s available to order now, with shipping in January. In keeping with the alternating sequence of release, the 2023 coin will head back into the world of demons. We look forward to seeing it.