Numiscollect @ WMF: The epic ‘Titans’ series continues with Cronus, a dab hand with a sickle

Sporting a different artistic style to the Mint of Poland mythology coins, Numiscollect have a crisp definition to their issues in this genre that gives collectors access to a competing range of an equally high order. We’ve long stated that coin collectors who love the theme have never had it so good, and this ‘Titans’ series is one of the reasons why.

Three ounces in weight, packed with Smartminted ultra high relief, and hitting 50 mm in diameter, this series is, with the release of Cronus, now three issues old. Following Atlas and Prometheus, Cronus continues its journey through a group of deities with some utterly fascinating back stories. Cronus is a particularly unpleasant piece of work, castrating his father, marrying his sister and eating his babies (Blackadder fans shouldn’t get confused with the Baby-eating Bishop of Bath & Wells…),

The coin depicts Cronus with dinner in hand, while Aphrodite approaches from behind. A Greek-style temple sits on a prominent cliff in the background, with the foreground filled with wheat, signifying the role of Cronus as God of the harvest. A packed and layered design, perfectly in keeping with prior issues in the series, and maintaining the high quality.

The obverse is a simple affair, just the effigy of Elizabeth II and the Cook Islands issue details. The antique finishing on these is excellent, eschewing the hand-finished look for something more technical and polished. It comes boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity,, as you would expect, and the mintage is capped at just 333 pieces. Another fine release in a series of impeccable quality. We’ll add this to our guide to Numiscollect’s mythology series.

THE TITANS

In Greek mythology, the Titans and Titanesses were members of the second generation of divine beings, descending from the primordial deities and preceding the Olympians. Based on Mount Othrys, the Titans most famously included the first twelve children of Gaia (Mother Earth) and Uranus (Father Sky). They ruled during the legendary Golden Age, and also comprised the first pantheon of Greek deities.

The first twelve Titans were the females Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Rhea, and Themis and the males Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius, and Iapetus. They begat more Titans: Hyperion’s children Helios, Selene, and Eos; Coeus’ children Leto and Asteria; Iapetus’ sons Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius; Oceanus’ daughter Metis; and Crius’ sons Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses. Just as Cronus overthrew his father Uranus, the Titans were overthrown by Cronus’s children (Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hestia, Hera and Demeter), in the Titanomachy (or “War of the Titans”).

Cronus is the youngest of the Titans, son of Ouranos and Gaia. Kronos’ father, Ouranos, who was jealous of all his sons, threw them back into the depths of the earth (Tartaros). Kronos’ mother Gaia wanted revenge and urged Kronos to castrate his father, which Kronos did with a sickle. He then became ruler in place of his father. He married his sister Rhea, but he didn’t want any of the children from this marriage alive since his parents had predicted that one of those children would take his rule away. As soon as the children were born, he devoured them with skin and hair.