One of the most recognisable names in the world, Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and the one in charge when the Civil War took place. Highly regarded for his principles and actions, he’s rightly considered one of the best Presidents for his time in office. He remains as much in the memory for his untimely and shocking assassination by John Wilkes Booth.

This 14 April sees the 150th anniversary of that shocking act and also the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. European coin producer and distributor, Modern Numismatics International (MNI), has produced a new rectangular silver coin to commemorate the events called ‘The Lincoln Twin Anniversary’. Formed in fine silver (0.999), the design is greatly enhanced by being struck to a high-relief.

We were lucky to get a sample to photograph, it’s a really nice piece in the hand, and MNI have chosen a good quality capsule for it as well. The price for it doesn’t seem too high either, given the small 1,915 mintage, and seems to go for around the $80, £70, $90 mark. Up for pre-order now.

As can be seen in our images below, the coin is struck to an impressive level of high relief, which adds a great dimensionality to the design, important with something so clearly three-dimensional, and so iconic. Lincolns legs do look closer to the viewer than his chest, for example, and the side of the pedestal it all sits on is done with a great level of detail, down to the vein texture of the marble.

The whole thing is an excellent reproduction in tiny coin form of the original statue and surroundings, made all the more vibrant by a complete lack of superfluous composition or date inscriptions, except those required by the design itself. A previous coin issued by Silvertowne in the US went with a different approach and in our view is a less successful design as a result, even though it’s decent enough. Sometimes less is more.

It’s available from the end of April, and some dealers are taking pre-orders now, like Minted-UK who along with MNI we have to thank for getting some time with a sample coin to photograph, the results of which you see here.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War—its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional and political crisis. In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy.

Lincoln has been consistently ranked both by scholars and the public as one of the three greatest U.S. presidents. The Lincoln Memorial is an American national monument built 1915 – 1922 to honour Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the primary statue – Abraham Lincoln.
It has always been a major tourist attraction and since the 1930s has been a symbolic centre focused on race relations.
The building is in the form of a Greek Doric temple and contains the large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and inscriptions of two well-known speeches by Lincoln, “The Gettysburg Address” and his “Second Inaugural Address”. The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, delivered on August 28, 1963, during the rally at the end of the March on Washington for freedom.

REVERSE: A superbly rendered high relief portrait capturing Henry Bacon’s seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln located in the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall, Washington D.C.

OBVERSE: Issued as legal tender under the authority of Niue, the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The monetary denomination, and the 2015 year-date are shown on the coin’s obverse.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $5 NEW ZEALAND
COMPOSITION 0.999 SILVER
WEIGHT 31.10 g
SIZE 27.0 x 47.0 mm
FINISH PROOF-LIKE
MINTAGE 1,915
BOX / COA YES / YES