The gods are no more. Long live the art of warfare. Perth debuts antique high relief series.

Almost single-handedly creating the ancient mythology high-relief antique coin market with its Gods of Olympus series, the Perth Mint has kept the concept going every year since. Goddesses of Olympus, followed by two series of Norse-themed issues led us to suspect another series this year, but it looks like a change is afoot. The first of a three-coin series for 2018, Warfare takes the hugely popular format away from mythology and towards actual history instead.

The Roman Legions were feared throughout the ancient world. One of the most disciplined and organised fighting forces of its time, a combination of political will and technical excellence saw the legions rampage through Europe, North Africa and the Middle East until they created an empire unmatched in scale for centuries and perhaps never matched for longevity or influence. The Centurion, introduced as part of the Marian reforms in 107BC, held it all together. Commanding groups of around 80 legionaries, they worked much like NCO’s do in modern, western armies by leading and inspiring tight-knit groups of warriors. They were also found in the Roman Navy, although a lack of volunteers to sit on a catapult and be fired skywards meant they were yet to join the Roman Air Force…

It’s a good looking coin with a well focused and realised piece of design by Lucas Bowers. Depicting a Centurion facing an onslaught of Gaulish warriors, it does a fine job of capturing the melee of combat while still making sure he remains the focus of the coin. There are no inscriptions on this face at all, leaving the artwork free of unnecessary intrusion. The obverse is the same one used on the gods ranges and simply carries the Queens effigy surrounded by an inscription filled border. The whole coin is antiqued.

Two ounces of 0.9999 silver in weight and rimless, this is a good debut and bodes well for the upcoming Vikings and Cavalry coins. In a new twist, this first coin comes with some simple 3d goggles. The certificate carries an NFC chip that when scanned by a smartphone will display an image that, when viewed through the goggles, shows a panoramic view of the battle. The coin comes in a themed shipper, but disappointingly not a box of the same quality as the gods ranges. The grey snapper is boring in comparison. Mintage is capped at 2,000 pieces and the coin is available now for $199.95 AUD or the local equivalent.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

A centurion was a principal professional officer in the army of ancient Rome. Each centurion commanded a century, a unit of 100 soldiers within a Roman legion which comprised 3,000 to 6,000 soldiers. Tough, courageous and highly disciplined, centurions formed the backbone of the Roman army, a formidable fighting force that conquered and controlled a vast empire. These highly esteemed officers received much greater reward than common soldiers and were responsible for enforcing discipline within the legion.

DESIGN: The reverse of the coin depicts a group of Roman centurions fighting a battle against the Gauls. In the background are two centurions on horseback as well as a war elephant and an aquila. The design also includes The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark.

The obverse of the coin portrays the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the monetary denomination and the 2018 year-date.

PACKAGING: Each coin is presented in a classic grey display case, within an illustrated shipper, and is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. A first for The Perth Mint, the coin is accompanied by 3D goggles* and an immersive 360˚ panoramic illustration of the battle represented on the coin. The image can be automatically viewed on any smartphone by tapping the phone against the NFC chip included in the certificate, then placing the phone in the 3D VR goggles.