Big Monday: CIT celebrates the legendary mountain, The Matterhorn, and smartmints a mountainous two-kilo silver coin

One of the most legendary mountains in Europe, and one on which over 500 people have lost their lives, the Matterhorn isn’t famous for its height – it’s only the 12th highest peak in Western Europe – but its soaring pyramidal shape, relative isolation, and sheer beauty, have captured the popular imagination since it was first ascended in 1865 by a group led by Edward Whymper, one that 4 of the 7 in the team paid the ultimate price for. At 4,478 metres, and formed from the continuing push of the African continental plate into the European one, it’s a perilous climb, with steep faces, and treacherous weather.

CIT have issued some terrific mountain coins over the last decade, especially the high-relief ‘Seven Summits’ range, but nothing quite like their latest release in this genre. First of all, it tips the scales at a hefty two kilograms, large for CIT, and secondly, it’s issued for Switzerland, very unusual, as that’s normally done exclusively by the Swiss Mint, although we doubt something like this is in their wheelhouse.

The coin itself is quite spectacular. The depiction of the Matterhorn is particularly imposing, and giving smartminting a real workout with its 14 mm of relief, all exquisitely highlighted with black and white colour. The background field has a topographical map of the area, which looks good, but we’d like to have seen more of a gap between it and the mountain.

The obverse also exhibits smartminted high-relief of up to 5 mm, and a view of the mountain from further afield. Here we see the successful, but ultimately ill-fated team of seven, that ascended the summit for the first time in 1865. Quite a poignant scene, that brings home how impressive an achievement it was given the equipment of the day, especially considering that almost a dozen people a year still die on the Matterhorn. Microengraved on the rim is Whymper’s famous quote at the summit, “At 1.40 p.m. the world was at our feet, and the Matterhorn was conquered. Hurrah! Not a footstep could be seen”.

As big admirers of CIT’s ‘Seven Summits’ range, we are in awe of this one. At 140 mm in diameter, it’s as imposing as the mountain, and just 50 will be struck. It’s beautifully presented, and something that would be a real showpiece, if displayed. Outstanding.