Excalibur, the sword of Arthurian legend, launches a new silver coin series from the Carpathian Mint
One of the world’s most popular stories from history is the Arthurian legend. Telling the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in Camelot, it’s now firmly rooted in the cultural memory of British people, and many others around the world. One of the most iconic elements of the tales is the sword, Excalibur, and it’s here that Carpathian Mint have focused their attention to kick off a new four-coin series, with a two-ounce weight, and high-relief.
Swords have a prominent place in the mythology of many cultures, and have appeared on countless coins over the last decade, but in an incidental way, rarely being the primary subject themselves. This range rectifies that, showcasing some that have become legends in their own right. Next year will see the Wallace Sword (owned by William Wallace of Braveheart fame), followed in 2026 by the Szczerbiec sword (used in the coronation of Polish monarchs for almost 450 years), and in 2027 by the Durendal sword (which has ties to Charlemagne).
Back to this issue, the reverse face depicts Arthur in the act of pulling Excalibur from the stone, under the gaze of Merlin, and a group of knights awaiting their chance to try. The castle of Camelot dominates the background. Excalibur is gilded, and we suspect this will be the series signature moving forward. It’s a packed design, managing to cover most of the core elements of the scene as written.
We’re particularly taken with the common obverse, which depicts all four swords laid out over an ornately decorated background. Integrated into it is the Public Seal of Niue, and there’s a patterned border around it all. Very nice. The coin comes boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, and has a mintage of 500 units. A great debut, we’ll look forward to seeing the next one in 2025. Available to order shortly, it should ship around the end of June.
DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIAMETER | FINISH | MINTAGE |
$5 NZD (Niue) | 62.2 g of 0.999 silver | 50.0 mm | Antique, gilding | 500 |
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