Fortuna, the Roman goddess of good luck and prosperity, is brought to life on a beautiful new silver coin from T&S
It appears from our first looks at their debut releases, that T&S Coin have hit the ground running. We’ve looked at the ‘Behind the Mask’ release, and the ‘Samson’ coin, and found both to be fine examples of the genre. From their 2023 releases, it’s clear the producer has settled on that very popular silver coin format – two ounces, antiqued, high relief – and it’s hardly surprising given the almost ideal balance between value, and enough metal to make realising the designer’s ideas possible.
The Roman goddess, Fortuna, is no stranger to modern numismatics, and one of the first coins we reported on here featured her (from the Aureus collection). Some of been superb, but this new addition may very well be the best representation of this lucky lady yet, and includes all the elements associated with her ancient origins, like the wheel of fortune, the horn of plenty, and, of course, gold.
Fortuna actually grew from, like so much of the Roman pantheon, the Ancient Greeks, in this example, Tyche. This daughter of Aphrodite, Tyche was hugely important in Greece, and her temples, such as the Tychaeon in Alexandria, were said by contemporaries to be the finest in the Hellenic world, She made the transition to Rome by taking on the name Fortuna, where she was just as widely admired, surviving well past antiquity and the Middle Ages, in fact. Her function was always the same – good fortune.
The coin is gorgeous, and easily maintains the sky-high standard set by T&S Coin to date. The high-relief is expertly used, with the raised border making a cool change from the usual, the layered relief not only raised above it, but also diving deep below. The quality of the design details looks equally well realised. The choice of gilded highlights is sensible, and we all know how attractive that gilding and antiquing combo is.
The obverse face has the Public Seal of Niue at its centre, surrounded by that flourished design reminiscent of Renaissance detailing that adorns many interiors of grand palaces throughout Europe. It’s actually a common obverse, not to this series (if it should indeed turn out to be one), but to the whole T&S range. A great idea given how beautiful it is, taking the place of the standard effort that occupies this face on so many Niue issues lately.
Another first class offering, it cements T&S Coin as a producer to watch, and one where artistic merit, and technical excellence go hand-in-hand, much like established greats, CIT, Mint XXI, and Precious Metal Collectors, amongst others. Fortuna will have a mintage capped at 500 pieces, and come boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity. It’s available to pre-order now.
SPECIFICATION | |
DENOMINATION | $5 NZD (Niue) |
COMPOSITION | 62.2 g of 0.999 silver |
DIMENSIONS | 50.0 mm |
FINISH | Antique |
MODIFICATIONS | High-relief, selective gilding |
MINTAGE | 500 |
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