PMC debuts a coin celebrating of one of history’s greatest generals, Alexander the Great

The Nine Worthies were one of the first major series that Singapore-based producer, Precious Metal Collectors, released to market. The Nine Worthies are nine historical, scriptural, and legendary personages (3 Jews, 3 Pagans, 3 Christians) who personify the ideals of chivalry established in the Middle Ages, whose lives were deemed a valuable study for aspirants to chivalric status. All were commonly referred to as ‘Princes’, regardless of their historical titles. They were first described in the early fourteenth century, by Jacques de Longuyon in his Voeux du Paon.

The first three coins PMC issued in this series employed their innovative Bi-Metal Max format. The first coin was Hector of Troy, and that was followed up with Joshua, and King Arthur. There’s been no activity on the series since July 2020, but that’s all changed with the launch of Alexander the Great, the second of the three pagans. That isn’t all that’s changed, however, as this is a straight-up five ounce silver coin, completely eschewing the copper-cored technique of prior issues, and is also coloured.

The first thing you notice with the coin is the concave strike. It’s most pronounced on the convex obverse face, with a very intricate, multi-ringed representation of Alexander’s shield. The coat-of-arms of Chad, the issuing nation, sits perfectly integrated into the middle of that shield. The whole thing is coloured, but done in a heavily graduated, almost airbrushed style. It looks terrific, although the style is completely different to the earlier coins.

The reverse face is the obvious star. It’s concave, but it’s filled with tons of high-relief. Alexander is depicted on horseback, battling in an urban area, surrounded by his army. It’s all quite dynamic, and that unusual colour application over an antique finish, looks unique. The horse leg in the foreground doesn’t look quite right to my eye, but the whole thing is very striking.

As always with PMC, the presentation looks bang-on, although again, it differs from earlier issues. On the whole, this release is a surprising departure from the first trio of coins in The Nine Worthies series, and we suspect the next two coins, our guess is possibly King David and Charlemagne, will also use it. Whether the format changes again for the final three issues, remains to be seen. This coin, we’d consider a big success. Available to order now, its mintage is capped at just 199 pieces.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

The second piece from the triad of Pagans comes the fourth in the series of The Nine Worthies — Alexander the Great is one of the most famous kings of Greece. He and his horse Bucephalus were legends even when they were still alive, and he was one of the most successful young kings ever to take the throne of any country. He was undefeated in battle and famously tutored by Aristotle.

Alexander was legendary in his own time for solving the Gordian Knot and his conquest of the Persian Empire. Greece was temporarily at peace under his rule and he was also famously preserved by the Egyptians and laid to rest in Alexandria, which was named after him. Few leaders of any country have risen to such heights during their lifetime. The shape of this piece of art and the ornate detailing shows everything that you need to know about Alexander and his rise to power as a young man. Alexander’s shield is on the obverse side, and the convex/concave nature of the design brings both sides of the artwork to life.