Mint21 Week: The embodiment of good vs evil is the tale behind the second Apocalypse coin

One of Mint 21’s debut pair of coins, the Four Horsemen was the first of their ‘Apocalypse’ coins and introduced their visual style to the coin world. A different approach to the increasingly ubiquitous Mint of Poland style, it was a refreshing design with an almost medieval slant. One of the six new coins from this producer we’re looking at this week is the second in this series.

The Archangel Michael is easily one of the most powerful figures in Judaeo-Christian mythology and among his many feats in religious literature is his part in the war against the rebel angels documented in Revelations. His slaying of the dragon embodiment of evil is what has been chosen to adorn this new coin, and it carries on the visual style of the first issue in this series.

Michael is shown in classic pose, with shades of the Ukrainian Archangel bullion coin, but the strike here is on a whole other level. Like all designs, you will either prefer this style or the Mint of Poland’s, but there’s nothing to criticise with the implementation. It’s another gorgeous strike, rich with detail and depth, the subtle use of gilding both restrained and well placed. The way the dragons body has been used to fill the background is particularly excellent.

The common obverse returns. Four symbols, each evoking a Bible Gospel and meant to represent the four faces of God, are depicted and they all look like they came straight from an illuminated manuscript. The winged man represents Matthew, the winged lion is Mark, the winged ox is Luke, and the eagle is John.

Another fine issue, this one is a little bigger than the others at three ounces, and that shows in the increased diameter of 55mm. In other respects, it’s similar to the other issues we’ve looked at this week. Antique-finished, rimless and lashings of high-relief. Boxed with a certificate, it has a mintage of 500 pieces and will ship from April.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

The Apocalypse of Saint John (Book of Revelation) tells us that the Archangel Michael, after overcoming the rebel angels, slays the dragon. And here the dragon has some allusions – it appears as an allegorical embodiment of evil.

On the given coin, we can see how gracefully Saint Michael raises his sword in order to overcome a horrible beast. The coin greatly depicts how with a show of elegance and ease, a hero is fighting against a mortal enemy. Discover the history of the part of Apocalypse series – Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon!