Palau’s perennial Ounce of Luck coin is upgraded to high-relief with a new flagship design

The four-leaf clover has been an icon of luck for ages, although nobody is sure how the superstition got started. With only around 1 clover in every 5,000 having four leaves instead of the usual three, you can see how these traditions begin. The first reference to luck might be from an 11-year-old girl, who wrote in an 1877 letter to St. Nicholas Magazine, “Did the fairies ever whisper in your ear, that a four-leaf clover brought good luck to the finder?”. Five-leaf clovers have been found, but are consumately even rarer.

One of CIT’s perennial favourites, the Ounce of Luck coin has been running annually since 2010, the 2018 coin having sold out quite quickly already. It’s an unusual success story. A four-leaf clover sealed in a silver (or gold) coin, the design barely changes every year, but the coin has remained popular regardless. never one to rest on their laurels however, CIT have decided to add to the range with a modern, smartminted reimaging of the concept.

From a base specification perspective, the coins differ very little. Both silver variants weigh an ounce, although the new one is fine 0.999 fineness instead of the older sterling 0.925, but from there they take completely different trajectories. Instead of incorporating a clover, the new design apes the look in a highly stylised manner. It’s a superb example of SmartMintings ability to produce a ultra-high relief with an unusual shape, much like the outstanding Remembrance Day coin from earlier this year, and several others.

The obverse of the coin depicts the marine-themed emblem of Palau in the centre, along with the coin date, but is otherwise clean. The coin comes with a certificate of authenticity and is supplied in what looks to be a good quality themed white box. Like much of the Beijing Coin Expo releases, this one will start to ship around the end of February next year, but it’s available to order now for around €120.00.

2018 SILVER FORTUNE SILVER COIN

MINTS DESCRIPTION

Silver Fortune is the result of uniting CIT’s expertise and long tradi tion with special shape coins, lately struck in dramatic smartmint ing© relief, with one of CIT’s most popular themes dating back to – 2010 – the four-leaf clover.

The classic Ounce of Luck series was issued for the ANA show with an updated design and is still a sought after gift and staple in many a collection. The Silver Fortune, however, is undoubtedly the new flagship clover coin thanks to its elaborate design and production.

Each of the 2500 one-ounce coins is presented in an exclusive glossy white collector’s box.

SPECIFICATION

NAME 2018 SILVER FORTUNE
DENOMINATION $5 Palau
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver
WEIGHT 31.1 grams
DIAMETER 38.61 mm
FINISH Antique
MODIFICATIONS Smartminted high-relief
MINTAGE 2,500
BOX / COA Yes / Yes