The Winged sandals of Hermes are Numiscollect’s third look at the artifacts of ancient mythology
Thors Hammer ‘Mjolnir’ and Aegis, the Shield of Athena are both legends of the ancient mythological world and both have been immortalised in silver as part of Numiscollects superb mythology series of silver coins. The third issue, first scene earlier this year at the Berlin World Money Fair, is now starting to appear for ordering at dealers worldwide and the subject of choice is Talaria, the winged sandals of the god Hermes.
The two-ounce antiqued silver format of the competition from the Mint of Poland, and of previous issues in this series, remains. In the case of these smartminted issues, the entire extra ounce has gone on thickness, making these effectively piedfort coins. The advantage of this approach can be seen with some outstanding levels of relief simply not possible on thinner strikes.
This is another pretty coin, depicting a scene of Hermes in an ancient Greek setting. The sandals are reproduced in greater detail in the foreground, so the whole face isn’t a single vista, but a composite of the two. Both are beautifully struck with tons of high relief and a good sense of depth. The coin title is inscribed here in an elegant font, but everything else is kept to the staid obverse. That face carries just the usual effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and the issue details, as you would expect of a Cook Islands coin. It’s a pity more effort wasn’t put into the obverse, but that’s hardly a deal-breaker.
Presentation consists of a box with a certificate of authenticity and the mintage is capped at 999 pieces. A great looking piece, although last years Shield of Athena takes some beating, and a fine alternative to the design style of the Mint of Poland issues, for those looking for variety. Shipping in a few weeks time, expect to pay around €200 for one.
TALARIA, THE WINGED SANDALS OF HERMES
The symbol of the Greek messenger god, Hermes, Talaria are winged sandals said to have been made, by the god Hephaestus, of pure gold. The name comes from the Latin word tālāria, meaning “of the ankle”, and they are said to have allowed the wearer to fly as fast as any bird.
It was in the writings of Homer that wings on the sandals were first mentioned, and the characteristic has been associated with them ever since. Hermes is said to have given the sandals to the son of Zeus, Perseus, who used them to help him slay the fearsome Gorgon, Medusa.
| SPECIFICATION | |
| DENOMINATION | $10 CID (Cook Islands) |
| COMPOSITION | 0.999 silver |
| WEIGHT | 62.2 grams |
| DIMENSIONS | 38.61 mm |
| FINISH | Antique |
| MODIFICATIONS | Ultra high-relief |
| MINTAGE | 999 |
| BOX / COA | Yes / Yes |
The plain jane face of the queen, is a turn off. They have to do something with that fugly mug! #nothanks.
Yes, some consignment designers have made beautiful artwork on the obverse sides a trend that has started to expand a bit, not fast enough though.
More should follow the lead of Numiartis & Mint of Gdansk to name a few. They have produced expanded design elements on some of their obverses relevant to reverse side.
These added features certainly add much to their collectability for sure.
The collectable numismatic market has expanded so fast in the last decade or so, it seems even new “high end” releases are coming out every other week……and Hats Off to Mik for keeping us up to speed with all of them !
Is the numis market getting saturated in certain genres? ….. I think possibly so, but I’m no expert on how its all trending out …..its just my feeling it might be.
The point I guess I’m trying to make here…is hopefully we will start seeing more artwork on both sides of the higher end coins.
Mik, You`ve done a fantastic job of keeping us informed & up-to-date on the latest issues of all different types & genres – kudos to you. There is no other site like Agaunews -particularly in the U.S. where there is not much focus on “foreign” issues. I loved “Thor`s Hammer” & “Athena`s Shield,” so I already ordered the “Winged Sandals of Hermes.” This is a very high quality series;actually,one of the best in a quiet way. Bob,there are too many issues in the gods & mythology genre & the market is getting saturated. But so many of them are such great coins! And I`m not even on the payroll at the Mint of Poland,Numiartis or Numiscolllect. I`m choosing the best ones & Winged Hermes qualifies IMHO.
Apart from the obverse that has nothing “thematic” as almost all comment, the diameter of this 2 Oz coin is too small. It only measures 38.61 mm, when any of 2 oz. Measures between 45 and 50 mm (some even more). And the relief of the reverse I see inferior to the coins of the Mennica Polska and even many of Mayer Mint itself. I think that this series has been outdated in its characteristics compared to other series of similar themes.
I have seen the images of the edition of the year 2017 of this series (dedicated to the Hammer of Thor). The one of the year 2017 if it has in reverse a really good relief (although it has the same generic obverse design). But this 2019, as I said in my previous comment, I see a lower than average relief for this type of coins with mythological theme. It seems that the sacrifice of diameter in order to get more thickness, has not been used in this coin to get more relief.
I don’t disagree; I would probably like it better @“at 45-50mm diameter. I think “in hand” the relief will be very high, if it’s true to the two prior. However, BH Mayer has done several great series at 2oz 38.61 mm diameter, such as Norse gods, Gladiators & Ulysses series. More classic coin look & sometimes it’s not the high relief or tech tricks that make it interesting-it can be the theme & images w/o all the bells & whistles. It’s a matter of taste, but you’re not talking me out of Winged Hermès!