The Architectures of the World silver coin series continues with an idyllic view of the Greek island of Santorini

Following the debut of the ‘Architectures of the Wold’ series last year, with a Monaco coin, it’s back in 2025 with the Greek island of Santorini as its subject. Situated in the Aegean Sea, some 200 kilometres from the Greek mainland, the island has evidence of human occupation going back some 6,000 years, but it flourished after 2000 BCE with the Minoan civilisation.

Unfortunately, Santorini is also the location of one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in recorded history around 1600 BCE, a Plinian type, it’s believed, so imagine what happened at Pompeii, but ramp that up 15-fold in power, and it’s of little surprise that the city state was destroyed. The island remains rich in archaeological finds, but a more modern take of the island dominates the coin.

The iconic white buildings with their domed blue roofs, attract over 2 million tourists every year, and the colour scheme dates back to the 1960s, when it was made mandatory by the dictatorship as a way of showing patriotism. The white comes from a limestone whitewash, and helps to keep the houses cool in the very hot summers. They date back much further, with the wash having disinfecting properties that help fight disease like cholera, which plague them.

The coin depicts a scene out over the sea, likely the caldera, and the iconic architecture is perfectly captured in high-relief, sitting in a concave face. The flowing pattern in the sky is almost van Gogh-esque in nature. The obverse has an outline view across the bay, and the Cook Islands issue details are ring-fenced, with the effigy of King Charles III. Ironically, his father, Prince Philip, was Greek, although Charles didn’t inherit the old boy’s hilarious knack of offending people. This two-ounce coin comes presented in a latex floating frame, and is available at the RCM, Parthava Coin, and Powercoin.

The first coin is one we didn’t cover last year, and features the Rock of Monaco. This principality is the second-smallest sovereign state in the world, and where people too rich to live elsewhere go to live the high life. The whole country is barely 2 km² in size, so the coin depicts quite a large proportion of its total area. The Rock is the oldest part, containing the fortress, palace, and old town, and it sits between two harbours.

It’s a great looker, an obvious successor to CIT’s own Mont-Saint-Michel coin from 2023, and Château de Chambord from 2024, although with subjects of a bigger scale, and that’s a fine heritage. Rich colour, and an intelligent use of high-relief, mark this out. The obverse featuring a modern view is a neat contrast. This one is sold out at Powercoin and the RCM, but we believe Parthava have a limited number left, so head over there if you want to grab one.