The ‘Imperial Art’ historical architecture coin series continues it journey through time and place with a visit to Persia

Similar in concept to CIT’s seminal Tiffany Art series, Imperial Art is what we call an art-architecture coin, showcasing the aesthetic merits of some of the world’s most admired forms of architecture. Imperial Art does it by showcasing the civilisations, rather than the style per se, but does so in the same way, by choosing structures that best exemplify them.

Previous coins in the series have featured Mesopotamia (2014), Egypt (2015), China (2016), Greece (2018), and India (2020). The latest in the series is Persia, at times one of the most powerful civilisations in the world. It also had a distinctive style of its own, and the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, built from 1603-1619 during the reign of Shah Abbas I, is a prime example of it.

The reverse of the coin depicts the facade of the mosque, complete with the dome, while a scene from Persepolis fills the background. The door to the mosque is filled with a piece of agate, forming a window through the coin that’s also visible on the obverse. A natural stone, the beauty of its use is the piece in every coin will look slightly different. The coin is antique finished.

The obverse depicts the interior of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, in southern Iran. Also called the Pink Mosque, the building is unusual in its extensive use of stained-glass windows. More widely associated with the great medieval Christian religious buildings, its use in the Middle East actually dates back to the 7th century. However, the Nasir al-Mulk mosque is considerably younger, having been completed in 1888, during the Qajar Dynasty.

This face also carries a small image of a famous Persian scholar and physician, called Avicenna. Writer of The Canon of Medicine, one of 450 books he authored, he’s often referred to as the father of modern medicine, Considerably bigger, is the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, usually, although not always, present on Niue coin issues.

A nice release, especially for those lamenting the ending of the classic Tiffany Art series, Persia shows a clear improvement in relief and definition over earlier issues in this series, although each has been a fine design in their own rights. Presented in a wooden box with a certificate of Authenticity, this two-ounce silver coin is available to order now, with shipping scheduled from late September.