Despite the Gods of Olympus series from the Perth Mint getting all the attention, the New Zealand Mint have quietly continued releasing their own series of two-ounce coins featuring Ancient Greek Gods. Now they’ve issued the fifth and final coin in the series and this one depicts Apollo, the god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, poetry, and more. Brother of Artemis, and son of Zeus and Leto, Apollo is one of the most important of the Greek and Roman pantheon of gods.
The first coin in the series debuted back in September 2013, pre-empting the Perth series by almost four months, and featured Zeus. This was followed by Aphrodite in January 2014, and then by Poseidon and Athena later in 2014. Each coin is displayed in a nice, heavy temple-style package that can be stood alongside each other to form a temple facia.
These are actually nice coins, beautifully struck, although not always the most dynamic of designs. They follow the classical look and that’s not a bad thing at all. Despite the similarity in subject matter, these aren’t a competitor to the Perth series and are much more likely to appeal to students of the original subject matter than their more stylistic Australian cousins. I have a Zeus coin here and have seen Aphrodite and Poseidon, and all are of a very high quality, so don’t overlook these just because they aren’t the next big hit in numismatic circles. We’re not sure if the mint has plans to follow Gods of Ancient Greece with another series, but we’d like to see something based around the more interesting Norse mythology personally. We’ll see what’s coming in Berlin later this week.
MINTS DESCRIPTION
A stunning final release in the 5 coin Gods of Ancient Greece Silver Coin collection by New Zealand Mint. The design for this 2 oz rectangular silver coin has been inspired by ancient sculpture, coins and architecture of the classical Ancient Greece which attributes Apollo the highest degree of power and masculine beauty that can be imagined.
REVERSE: This high relief, rectangular coin, has been inspired by ancient sculpture, coins, vases and architecture, while also channelling classical and renaissance paintings of this iconic God of Ancient Greece. Apollos physique on this coin face, illustrates an ideal image of health, strength, balance and inspiration. In the coin background, set against a polished sky intersected by rays of sunlight, is the temple of Apollo at Delphi. Next to this is a Laurel tree which was sacred to the God.
OBVERSE: This features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
PACKAGING: The Gods of Ancient Greece Zeus 2 oz 999 Fine Silver coin is displayed inside a coin case styled on a classic Greek temple of the Ionic order. The collection of 5 ‘Gods of Ancient Greece’ coins are designed to line up to represent an Ancient Greek temple. The coin title is Gold foiled on the attractive marblesque outer case.
The coin is available to preorder now from the NZ Mint website or the usual dealers for $185 NZD.
SPECIFICATION | |
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DENOMINATION | $5 NEW ZEALAND |
COMPOSITION | 0.999 SILVER |
WEIGHT | 62.2 g |
SIZE | 70.0 x 34.0 mm |
FINISH | PROOF |
MINTAGE | 2,000 |
BOX / COA | YES / YES (SERIALISED) |
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