High relief, antiquing, and a little splash of blood for PMC’s ten-ounce silver Ares, the Greek god of war, coin

The Greek god of punch-ups, Ares, is no stranger to the coin world, and became famous in numismatic circles with the debut of a two-ounce coin from Numiartis a few years ago, that heralded a whole tsunami of similar coins struck by the Mint of Poland. He’s appeared a few times since, but the latest release from Precious Metal Collectors is certainly one of the most impressive of them.

Eschewing this producer’s innovative Bi-Metal, copper-cored technique, this is a big, chunky, and quite traditional strike in ten ounces of fine silver. That certainly doesn’t mean it isn’t pushing some boundaries, however. The coin is concave on the reverse face, and holds a very dynamic scene of Ares in battle, clad in bronze armour, atop a mound of fallen Greek warriors. Two of his sacred animals are in attendance, the vulture, and a wild dog. A brutal and chaotic scene.

As a true domed coin, that means the obverse is convex, and in a neat piece of design, PMC have utilised that fact to depict a stylised Greek round shield, called an ‘aspis’. A fine design, it’s been enhanced, just like the reverse face has, with a splattering of red enamel ‘blood’. It isn’t a new idea, but we’ve rarely seen it done as well as here, and it makes a great contrast to the antique finish.

Overall, an impressive release, especially with the utilisation of high-relief on the concave reverse face, and the shield on the obverse. A big coin at 80 mm in diameter, it’s also a pricier one than usual as a result, but the exclusivity a mintage of just 111 pieces brings, goes some way to justifying it. The coin comes boxed with a serialised Certificate of Authenticity. Available to order now, at various dealers, or direct from UPP.