Last years outstanding Ares God of War silver coin followed by equally stunning Poseidon

There’s no shortage of Poseidon coins on the modern collectors shortlist and many of them are of a high standard. From the original Perth Mint design, through the New Zealand Mints effort and on to the really nice recent release by Treasures of Oz, the old god of the sea has inspired some first class interpretations. Despite the current selection, we think there’s always room for an addition, especially when it’s the sequel to one of the very best issues of 2017.

Ares: God of War from Numiartis and the Mint of Poland  joined the market to much applause early last year. Early renders hinted at something special, but we were hugely impressed by the finished article and so were collectors. We all know the jokes about the ‘difficult second album’, but following a hit coin is never easy. We’re stoked to see that this years issue is very much the equal of Ares.

No changes to the basic specification – a two ounce fine-silver coin struck in a rimless, ultra high-relief style and topped off with antique-finishing and some selective gilding. The design is quite outstanding. Yet again the finished article surpasses a render that you’d consider ambitious enough. A hugely dynamic piece full of layer upon layer of interesting details. The gilding isn’t overdone and the overall look is pretty much flawless.

As before, just 500 of these will be struck and they will come in a good wooden box with a certificate of authenticity. As you’d expect, not a bottom-end coin, it sells for around the €350 mark and will ship in late April/early May. We can’t see this one not being a hit and it joins the Egyptian Symbols, and Mythological Creatures series in cementing Numiartis as one of the best producers out there at the moment, and the Mint of Poland the equal of any other mint working today. With issues like this and others from CIT, Numiscollect and Choice Mint, we maintain our view that the ancient mythology genre has no equal for consistently high quality. Available to order now from several of our sponsors.

POSEIDON

Poseidon  is one of the twelve Olympian deities of the pantheon in Greek mythology. His main domain is the ocean, and he is called the “God of the Sea”. Additionally, he is referred to as “Earth-Shaker” due to his role in causing earthquakes, and has been called the “tamer of horses”. He is usually depicted as an older male with curly hair and beard.

The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology; both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon. Linear B tablets show that Poseidon was venerated at Pylos and Thebes in pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece as a chief deity, but he was integrated into the Olympian gods as the brother of Zeus and Hades. According to some folklore, he was saved by his mother Rhea, who concealed him among a flock of lambs and pretended to have given birth to a colt, which was devoured by Cronos.

There is a Homeric hymn to Poseidon, who was the protector of many Hellenic cities, although he lost the contest for Athens to Athena. According to the references from Plato in his dialogue Timaeus and Critias, the island of Atlantis was the chosen domain of Poseidon.