The legendary Spear of Destiny comes to numismatics with an extraordinary two-ounce dimensional coin from Spectres

One of the most enduring legends from biblical times is that of the Holy Lance, also known as the Spear of Destiny, or the Lance of Longinus. The lance is said to be the spear that an unnamed Roman soldier pierced the side of the crucified Jesus to see if he was dead. This act was said to have created the fifth of the Five Holy Wounds of Christ. He was later given the name Longinus, and was purported to have converted to Christianity, picking up sainthood in the process.

It was only briefly mentioned in the Christian Bible, but like many objects from the book, took on increased prominence in Medieval times, when the trade in ‘relics’ became a widespread way for the church, and a plethora of conmen, to extract money from the more gullible members of the flock. Indeed, there are several relics claimed to be the lance, or fragments of it, including one in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The most famous of them is kept as part of the Imperial Regalia in Vienna, and it’s this that has become the go-to version. The gilded cuff was added by Charles IV around 1354, replacing a silver one added by Henry IV around 1100. It’s a fake, of course, dated multiple times using multiple techniques to around the 8th-9th century CE, but a fascinating artifact regardless.