Jules Verne, and his classic ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’, are brought to life in a multi-part silver coin

Not the first time that Jules Verne’s beloved classic, Around the World in 80 Days, has appeared on a modern coin, but certainly one of the most innovative and ambitious, MDM’s latest showcases both the author, and his iconic work through the employment of a second, removable reverse face. It’s good to see the work and the author together on a coin.

The base reverse face has a large central disc, on which is the book title and the author’s signature. Around that, is a large area filled with an image of Jules Verne at work, over a backdrop with a map of the globe, some early aerial contraptions, and one of his many quotes “Ah! Young people, travel if you can, and if you cannot – travel all the same!”. There’s plenty packed in here, sitting between a raised rim, and that equally raised central area.

The reason those areas are higher is simple. Designed to sit inside the ring they border are ten, thin pieces of gilded silver, each containing the name of a location Phileas Fogg passed through on his epic journey. Accompanying the name, which sits on a banner, is an image that epitomises that location. Best of all, they merge together to form a continuous image circumnavigating the centre. It’s all very well done, with obvious appeal to the many Verne admirers today.

The obverse is relatively simple, although the compass is a nice touch. The coin weighs in at 180 grams, so just shy of six troy ounces, and has a mintage of 480 pieces. It will, of course, come presented in a box with a Certificate of Authenticity. A neat and unusual coin, something that this German producer is excellent at. We’ll have a look at more of their new issues next week.

JULES VERNE

Jules Gabriel Verne (8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages extraordinaires, a series of bestselling adventure novels including Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1872). His novels, always well documented, are generally set in the second half of the 19th century, taking into account the technological advances of the time.

In addition to his novels, he wrote numerous plays, short stories, autobiographical accounts, poetry, songs and scientific, artistic and literary studies. His work has been adapted for film and television since the beginning of cinema, as well as for comic books, theatre, opera, music and video games.

Verne is considered to be an important author in France and most of Europe, where he has had a wide influence on the literary avant-garde and on surrealism. His reputation was markedly different in the Anglosphere, where he had often been labelled a writer of genre fiction or children’s books, largely because of the highly abridged and altered translations in which his novels have often been printed. On 24 March 1905, while ill with chronic diabetes and complications from a stroke which paralysed his right side, Verne died at his home in Amiens. (Source: Wikipedia)

THE ITINERARY OF PHILEAS FOGG
LONDON TO SUEZ, EGYPT
 Train to Brindisi, Italy, followed by the steamer ‘Mongolia’ to Egypt 7 DAYS
SUEZ TO BOMBAY, INDIA
 The steamer ‘Mongolia’ across the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean
 13 DAYS
BOMBAY TO CALCUTTA, INDIA
 Train across India
 3 DAYS
CALCUTTA TO HONG KONG
 The steamer ‘Rangoon’ across the South China Sea
 13 DAYS
HONG KONG TO YOKOHAMA, JAPAN
 The steamer ‘Carnatic’ across the South China Sea, East China Sea, and the Pacific
 6 DAYS
YOKOHAMA TO SAN FRANCISCO, USA
 The steamer ‘The General Grant’ across the Pacific Ocean
 22 DAYS
SAN FRANCISCO TO NEW YORK, USA
 Train across the United States
 7 DAYS
NEW YORK TO LONDON
 The steamer ‘The China’ across the Atlantic Ocean to Liverpool, then train to London
 9 DAYS
SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION 500 Francs (Djibouti)
COMPOSITION 180 g of 0.999 silver
DIMENSIONS 80.0 mm
FINISH Antique
MODIFICATIONS Ten separate slices all gilded
MINTAGE 480

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