Ancient brainiac, Pythagoras, the creator of some of your maths homework, is celebrated on Numiscollect’s latest silver coin

Born around 570 BCE, on the Aegean island of Samos, Pythagoras is considered a giant in ancient science and thought> However, none of his writings have survived, and his life and works are the subject of much discussion, but he was certainly influential, and his influence was remarked upon by several ancient scholars. He was credited with the theory of metempsychosis, which says that the soul is immortal, and upon death of the body, it moves to a new body.

As a polymath, he has been credited with mathematical and scientific discoveries, such as Pythagorean tuning, the five regular solids, the theory of proportions, the sphericity of the Earth, the identity of the morning and evening stars as the planet Venus, and the division of the globe into five climatic zones. He was reputedly the first man to call himself a philosopher (“lover of wisdom”). Today, it is his theorem about triangles to which he is most associated, despite no evidence he created it. He almost seems to be a cult leader in many regards. Whatever the truth of his life, his influence was indisputable.

The coin carries a fine portrait of the man. His appearance is attributed to a bust, currently held in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, that was a Roman copy of a Greek original, the former dated to the 1st/2nd c. BCE. In the background sits the Parthenon, and other relics, and reproduced above it, is his famous theorem. A classic design, free of gimmickry, and one that works well for the subject. I like it a lot. As the first ‘Science Explained’ coin, it has an obverse we suspect will be a common one. The Public Seal of Niue sits in the centre, surrounded by a border filled to the rim with scientific diagrams and notation.

It comes boxed, and with a Certificate of Authenticity that explains his theory. The mintage of 199 is tiny for a proof one-ounce silver coin, and we suspect one that will sell out quite quickly. It deserves to. Available to order now.