Coin’s Today debuts their latest silver stackable bullion coin, featuring the intricacies of the Aztec Sun Stone

The stackable bullion coins from South Korean producer, Coins Today, have rapidly become one of our favourite ranges on the market today, encompassing a mix of the modern, and the ancient, mainly centred around two series – Masks, and Shields. They do, however, occasionally issue solo designs, like their neat Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil, and the latest round we’re looking at today, is one of those.

We have seen the fascinating Aztec Sun Stone before, as part of Numiscollect’s attractive ‘Archaeology & Symbolism’ series, although called the Calendar Stone there, but that was a high-end numismatic, with crisp and dense fine detail, refined from the complex original. From that, you’d assume trying to make a stackable, high-relief bullion coin from the same source material wouldn’t be a great idea, but clearly it was.

Two ounces in weight, 60 mm in diameter, the round does a terrific job in replicating the 3.58 metre original artifact, and it does it with some good levels of high-relief. The negative impression on the obverse looks up to the task of forming a tight fit with the reverse, very impressive given its bullion status, and unusual nature. Another fine issue in a range of top-notch quality. Available shortly.

THE AZTEC CALENDAR (SUN) STONE

One of the most intriguing civilisations of the last millennia, the Aztec Empire wasn’t a particularly long-lasting one. Starting as an alliance of three city states called Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan, the Aztecs ruled the area in and around the Valley of Mexico from 1428 until 1521. It wasn’t long after its formation that Tenochtitlan became dominant, and the Aztec Empire was effectively ruled from there.

The whole thing was crushed by Hernan Cortes and his group of conquistadores with their native allies. Tenochtitlan is situated in the centre of what is now Mexico City.

In the few years following the defeat of the Aztecs, a large calendar stone was buried in the Zocalo, the main square of the capital. Rediscovered in late 1790, it was mounted to the outside of Mexico City Cathedral, where it remained for the next 95 years. Now residing in the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, this is no trinket and clearly of importance to the Aztecs. Its size alone indicates great significance.

How big is it? At 3.58 metres in diameter, 0.98 metres thick, and weighing almost 22 tonnes, its production must have been difficult, but you certainly couldn’t tell from the exquisite finished article. If it were formed in silver, it would weigh just shy of 104 tonnes – in gold, over 190 tonnes. The surface of the stone is a depiction of the central elements of Mexican cosmology.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION None
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver
WEIGHT 62.2 grams
DIMENSIONS 60.0 mm
FINISH Antique
MODIFICATIONS High-relief, Stackable
MINTAGE Unlimited
BOX / C.O.A. Yes / Yes