Numiscollect seek out candidates for the title of ‘8th Wonder of the World’, with a coin featuring the Church of Saint George

We’re all very familiar with the Seven Wonders, including such iconic structures as the Great Pyramids of Giza, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but fewer know that it’s actually called the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and only one of them is still standing. As a result, there’ve been many attempts at similar lists, some featuring natural wonders, some post-ancient, and some modern.

Another popular idea was simply adding to the classic original list, and this is where things get interesting. The Eighth Wonder title certainly isn’t short of candidates, even if you ignore the natural candidates, and those built after 1900, so theming a coin series around them seems a great idea. Numiscollect’s first choice is an Ethiopian marvel carved into solid bedrock, but unlike Petra, in Jordan, King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty decided to dig down, rather than into it. The result is eleven monolithic churches that you literally look down upon.

The most famous of them is called the Church of Saint George, and that’s depicted on the reverse face of the coin. Now, this is no giant cathedral, so it isn’t visually imposing, but you couldn’t really ask for a better encapsulation of the building. At the top is the Lalibela Cross, and coloured on the right is a view of the church from above. It’s weird to think the roof is at ground level. The obverse has a globe formed from dots, and the effect is very cleverly enhanced by warping the text and silhouetted skyline as if they’re on a spherical surface. We’ll assume from the design that this obverse will be common to the series.

This two-ounce 0.999 silver coin will come boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, and has a mintage capped at 555 pieces. It’s available to order now. As we said earlier, we think this is a great idea for a series, and with worthy candidates like Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, and England’s 2022 World Cup win, it could grow into a fascinating set.

THE CHURCH OF SAINT GEORGE

The Church of Saint George is one of the eleven, and most famous, rock-hewn monolithic churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia. It was constructed in the 12-13th century by Lalibela, King of Ethiopia, after a vision of Saint George. Lalibela wanted to recreate Jerusalem. All eleven churches are grouped in two clusters also known as earthly Jerusalem and heavenly Jerusalem with a trench in between representing the River Jordan. The Church of Saint George is located separately from the ten other churches, in the southwest of the others. It is completely carved downwards into the rocky volcanic earth in the shape of a cross.

Today, the Church of Saint George attracts many pilgrims from around he world. But you cannot just enter as it looks inaccessible with sheer drops on all sides. There is a small spiral canyon nearby which gives access through a tunnel to the church. The church is hollow and contains a statue of Saint George and a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. The structure is a true marvel, and therefore often referred to as one of the possible 8th Wonders of the World.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $10 CID (Cook Islands)
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver
WEIGHT 62.2 grams
DIMENSIONS 45.0 mm
FINISH Antique
MODIFICATIONS High-relief, Colour, Smartminting
MINTAGE 555
BOX / C.O.A. Yes / Yes