Legacy of the Pharaohs
Cook Islands. 5 Dollars 2022. Silver .999. 1 oz. 38.61 mm. Proof. Mintage: 1,500. Special technology: smartminting (Ultra High Relief). B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Cook Islands. 20 Dollars 2022. Silver .999. 3 oz. 45 mm. Antique finish. Mintage: 2022. Special technology: smartminting (Ultra High Relief). B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Cook Islands. 20 Dollars 2022. Silver .999. 3 oz. 45 mm. Proof. Mintage: 888. Special technology: partial gilding, smartminting (Ultra High Relief). B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Cook Islands. 1 Dollar 2022. Copper. 50 g. 38.61 mm. Prooflike. Mintage: 5,000. Special technology: smartminting (Ultra High Relief). B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Cook Islands. 250 Dollars 2022. Gold .9999. 1 oz. 33 mm. Proof. Mintage: 199. Special technology: smartminting (Ultra High Relief). B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Cook Islands. 250 Dollars 2022. Platinum .9995. 1 oz. 33 mm. Proof. Mintage: 199. Special technology: smartminting (Ultra High Relief). B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Description
One side shows the busts of the two male pharaohs Akhenaten and Thutmosis III and that of the female pharaoh Sobekneferu from the front; in the background a hieroglyphic inscription, in between LEGACY / OF THE / PHARAOHS.
The other side features the true-to-scale image of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Pyramids of Giza” seen from above; on it a round medallion with the portrait of Elizabeth II, below IRB (= Ian Rank-Broadley), around it the legend ELIZABETH II – the respective denomination – COOK ISLANDS / 2022.
Cook Islands. 5 Dollars 2022. Gold .9999. 0.5 g. 11 mm. Proof. Mintage: 5,000. B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Description of the $5 Gold Coin
One side shows the bust of Thutmosis III in front of the pyramids of Giza in the right field, above LEGACY / OF THE / PHARAOHS.
The other side features the portrait of Elizabeth II, below IRB (= Ian Rank-Broadley), around it the legend ELIZABETH II – 5 DOLLARS – COOK ISLANDS / 2022.
Background
On November 4, 1922, a member of Howard Carter’s excavation team discovered the top step of a staircase buried with rubble in the Valley of the Kings. It led to a walled door whose seals were intact.
The archaeologist immediately sent a telegram to his sponsor Lord Carnarvon, who arrived in Luxor a few days later. Together they opened the burial chamber of Tutankhamun. The rest is history: in 2022 we celebrate the 100th anniversary of what was probably the world’s most famous excavation.
Honoring the occasion, CIT releases various commemorative coins focusing on the heritage of the Egyptian pharaohs. Coins with identical motifs in silver, copper, platinum, and gold commemorate the two most important pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty – Thutmosis III und Akhenaten – as well as the first female pharaoh known to us: Sobekneferu. Their impressive busts feature one behind the other in ultra-high relief on a perfectly crafted smartminting issue.
Of course, hieroglyphs are a must on a coin in honor of the pharaohs. The text comes from a stele that was discovered in the tomb of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut.
The reverse of the coins is even more spectacular: it presents the excavation site of the pyramids of Giza in a true-to-scale relief. The three differently sized pyramids of Cheops, Chephren, and Menkaure, which the site was named after, can clearly be identified. You can also see the Great Sphinx on the right edge of the excavation site, as well as many temples, burial fields, ceremonial streets, and workers’ accommodations that left their traces in the ground.
Thanks to impressive smartminting technology, CIT created something that has never been seen before: the first true-to-scale minted model of an archaeological excavation. In terms of technique, CIT thus expanded its range of aerial scale imagery that began with the award-winning 7 Summits series and was continued with Tiffany Art Metropolis.
Legacy of the Pharaohs is a commemorative coin that anyone with a passion for archaeology will fall in love with.
Further Information
www.cit.li/coins/legacy-of-the-pharaohs-copper
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