It was Powercoins superb ‘Eternal Sculptures’ series that first introduced us to the story of Leda and the Swan. In that case, the coins inspiration was a Roman period marble statue of beautiful elegance, but the tale was widely known in antiquity. A popular art form in antiquity was mosaic and there a countless examples of breathtaking beauty, like the Alexander the Great one found at Pompeii, so it wasn’t a surprise to see Leda and the Swan so depicted. One of the very best was found employed as a floor decoration in a Roman house at Palaipafos, which dates back to the 2nd century AD.

The Bank of Cyprus has used the mosaic to create a very cool silver coin done in a mosaic style (a cruder version of another fine Powercoin series). It eschews the colour of the original, but given the tame specification and low price of the coin (€42 incl. VAT), has nevertheless done an exemplary job in reproducing the spirit of the original. Keeping the main face free of inscribed details, bar the denomination, has helped immensely. All told, artist George Stamatopoulos should be very pleased with how this turned out.

Just 2,000 of these 28.28 gram sterling silver coins will be minted for the Bank of Cyprus by the Greek Mint. A standard 38.61 mm diameter means it’s big enough to show off the detail well, and we believe it comes boxed with a C.O.A. Available to buy now, direct from the Bank via their estore.

LINKS: BANK OF CYPRUS PURCHASE PAGE