Tina’s View, Coins Today’s innovative numismatic look at a tourist’s journey around the world, debuts in Paris

It’s always good to see something genuinely different, and in numismatic terms at least, we reside in times when that is very much a reality. The latest emanates from South Korean producer, Coins Today, no stranger to innovation. The world’s landmarks have appeared on coins before, with some regularity, but never in a way as interesting as it’s been done here.

Called ‘Tina’s View’, the premise is Tina, a photographer, travels the globe visiting, and photographing, some of the most iconic tourist attractions in the world. The first to debut is one of the most iconic of them all, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The reverse of the coin gives us a tourist-eye view of the tower’s intricate latticework from ground level, almost directly underneath, but looking skywards. This face is packed to the rim with fine, layered detail, hinting at the sense of awe Tina must have felt when looking through her camera’s viewfinder.

It’s the obverse that’s the star, however. Here we have a reverse view, looking down at Tina with her camera pointing upwards, The image taken for the other coin face, in expanded form, sits within the glass of the lens, covered in a clear resin to emulate the reflective nature of the glass. The photographer is depicted behind the camera, her case on the ground, complete with a name tag inscribed ‘Tina’. A terrific use of perspective and the way the two coin faces tie in together is quite superb.

Just over three ounces in weight at a straight 100 grams, the coin is struck in 0.999 silver and then antique finished. While we haven’t seen images of the packaging yet, it will come boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity. We’ve always admired the innovative ideas coming from this South Korean producer, especially their stackable bullion designs, and it’s good to see that get applied to their range of higher-end numismatic offerings as well. Available to order now, just 324 will be struck. We look forward to seeing where Tina goes next.