MDM kick off their first copper-cored coin with T-Rex, the dinosaur that’s mad, bad and dangerous to know…
Regular readers will have seen several of our recent articles about Precious Metal Collectors innovative copper-cored silver coins. What these involve is the wrapping of a large copper coin with a sizably thick skin of fine silver. The end result is a relatively huge coin for the weight of precious metal, but at a much more affordable price. While PMC have hidden the copper completely, MDM have taken the approach of using that core to enhance the design with, we believe, excellent results. They’re calling it ‘Double Silver Giants’.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex is no stranger to the coin world, and even the depiction of it used here is not completely new, but it does come in at the top of the genre for execution. The use of ultra high relief has given MDM the chance to ramp up the detail levels, particularly with regards to skin texture, resulting in an almost three-dimensional look. The area around the eye is exceptional.
The obverse features at its centre, the emblem of Vanuatu, an Oceanic island that rarely shows up in modern numismatics, unlike others in the region like Tuvalu, Nuie, Fiji, and the Cook Islands. Surrounding that are eight small dinosaur, including sauropods and theropods, one of which is our old friend Spinosaurus, has discovered to have a tail different to the one seen. We’re assuming that those shown are potentially making up an eight-coin series if this one should be successful.
The coin is 12 mm thick and 60 mm in diameter, and consists of two 5 gram silver faces on a 145 gram copper disc. That disc is allowed to be seen on the rim, becoming an integral and attractive part of the finished design. With an expected price of under €100, the benefits of the approach, especially with silvers price climbing inexorably, are plain to see. The coin comes with a Certificate of Authenticity an in a themed shipper, and has a mintage of 1,999 pieces. A wonderful debut for this affordable series, it should ship around October/November.
TYRANNOSAURUS REX
Tyrannosaurus, meaning “tyrant lizard”, is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex, commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is one of the most well-represented of the large theropods. Tyrannosaurus lived throughout what is now western North America, on what was then an island continent known as Laramidia. Tyrannosaurus had a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids. Fossils are found in a variety of rock formations dating to the Maastrichtian age of the upper Cretaceous Period, 68 to 66 million years ago. It was the last known member of the tyrannosaurids, and among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.
Like other tyrannosaurids, Tyrannosaurus was a bipedal carnivore with a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to its large and powerful hind limbs, Tyrannosaurus fore limbs were short but unusually powerful for their size and had two clawed digits. The most complete specimen measures up to 12.3 m in length, up to 4 meters tall at the hips, and up to 6.8 metric tons in weight. Although other theropods rivaled or exceeded Tyrannosaurus rex in size, it is still among the largest known land predators and is estimated to have exerted the largest bite force among all terrestrial animals. By far the largest carnivore in its environment, Tyrannosaurus rex was most likely an apex predator, preying upon hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, and possibly sauropods. Some experts, however, have suggested the dinosaur was primarily a scavenger. The question of whether Tyrannosaurus was an apex predator or a pure scavenger was among the longest ongoing debates in paleontology. It is accepted now that Tyrannosaurus rex acted as a predator, and scavenged as modern mammalian and avian predators do.
More than 50 specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex have been identified, some of which are nearly complete skeletons. Soft tissue and proteins have been reported in at least one of these specimens. The abundance of fossil material has allowed significant research into many aspects of its biology, including its life history and biomechanics. The feeding habits, physiology and potential speed of Tyrannosaurus rex are a few subjects of debate. Source: Wikipedia
| SPECIFICATION | |
| DENOMINATION | 10 Vatu (Vanuatu) |
| SILVER CONTENT | 2 x 5 grams 0.999 |
| COPPER CONTENT | 145 grams |
| DIMENSIONS | 60.0 mm |
| FINISH | Antique |
| MODIFICATIONS | Ultra high-relief |
| MINTAGE | 1,999 |
| BOX / C.O.A. | Yes / Yes |
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