Mount Everest, that towering tour-de-force of nature is reproduced in silver and copper for Cameroonian coin

There’s little to compare in nature with that most legendary of mountains – Everest – so it’s of little surprise that it’s attracted numismatic interest over the years. It’s no more impressive to depict the mountain in colour or flat relief than it is any other subject, but with the advent of advanced techniques for ultra-high relief, more is now possible, and expected.

This new coin from a new producer is similar in reverse design to CIT’s gorgeous ‘Seven Summits’ series, but there are some notable differences. The obverse is almost completely filled with custom artwork as well, A view of the mountain from the valley below, complete with a monumental stone marking it’s extraordinary height. is the most obvious enhancement, and a very neat addition.

However, it’s clear that the huge levels of high-relief on the reverse face are the main attraction. It almost looks hewned from a piece of basalt, the antique finish serving particularly well in its role. Just the name of the mountain in Asian script and the height in metres, break up the image. We really like CIT’s coin, and while this one is similar, it has a look of its own that is equally attractive.

Best of all, the two-ounce silver coin has a more affordable sibling to sit alongside it. Struck in 53 grams of fine copper, it’s identical in virtually every respect, even down to the antiquing. It also shares the same small 333 piece mintage of the silver coin, so this is no mass-market alternative, but a genuine collectable in its own right. As we said with the Majestic Eagle issue last year that relaunched smartminting, copper is an attractive and great value way to do high-end minting at an affordable level, doubly so in light of the rising price of silver and gold. A top first release. Dealers feel free to contact us for distributor details. Available shortly.

MOUNT EVEREST

Mount Everest is Earth’s highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow height) of 8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) was most recently established in 2020 by the Nepali and Chinese authorities.

Mount Everest attracts many climbers, some of them highly experienced mountaineers. There are two main climbing routes, one approaching the summit from the southeast in Nepal (known as the “standard route”) and the other from the north in Tibet. While not posing substantial technical climbing challenges on the standard route, Everest presents dangers such as altitude sickness, weather, and wind, as well as significant hazards from avalanches and the Khumbu Icefall. As of 2019, over 300 people have died on Everest, many of whose bodies remain on the mountain.

The first recorded efforts to reach Everest’s summit were made by British mountaineers. As Nepal did not allow foreigners to enter the country at the time, the British made several attempts on the north ridge route from the Tibetan side. After the first reconnaissance expedition by the British in 1921 reached 7,000 m (22,970 ft) on the North Col, the 1922 expedition pushed the north ridge route up to 8,320 m (27,300 ft), marking the first time a human had climbed above 8,000 m (26,247 ft). Seven porters were killed in an avalanche on the descent from the North Col. The 1924 expedition resulted in one of the greatest mysteries on Everest to this day: George Mallory and Andrew Irvine made a final summit attempt on 8 June but never returned, sparking debate as to whether or not they were the first to reach the top.

They had been spotted high on the mountain that day but disappeared in the clouds, never to be seen again, until Mallory’s body was found in 1999 at 8,155 m (26,755 ft) on the north face. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first official ascent of Everest in 1953, using the southeast ridge route. Norgay had reached 8,595 m (28,199 ft) the previous year as a member of the 1952 Swiss expedition. The Chinese mountaineering team of Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo, and Qu Yinhua made the first reported ascent of the peak from the north ridge on 25 May 1960. (Source: Wikipedia)