Decorated in 530 BCE by the Euphiletos Painter, the Panathenaic Amphora is a terracotta amphora painted as a victory prize for that year’s Panathenaic Games in Athens. The 622 mm tall vase has on one side a depiction of Athena Promachos, a common image on this type of pottery, and on the other side is a stadion (foot race), with five nude runners. It’s a gorgeous example of late Archaic Greek art, with an amazing history, and it’s currently held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Mint XXI’s interpretation of the coin uses a ceramic insert to bring it into sharp relief, and it does a great job reproducing the original. The exquisite fine-line detailing of the original is missing from the coin, but that’s hardly surprising given the disparity in size. This isn’t the first time ceramic inserts have been used in this way, with both the Mint of Poland, and Numiscollect having issued in this style, but this is certainly the most impressive to date. The background is a simple Greek meander pattern, surrounded by the coin title.

This is a two-ounce silver coin, reaching out to an expansive 70 mm in diameter.`It comes presented in a latex-skin ‘floating’ frame, in a themed slipcover, and has a mintage capped at 999 pieces. An interesting historical release, enhanced by the inspired choice of subject. Available now.