Noble 2023
Isle of Man. 1 Noble 2023. Silver .999. 2 oz. 38.61 mm. Proof. Mintage: 999 pieces. Special technology: smartminting® (Ultra High Relief). B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Isle of Man. 1/64 Noble. 2023. Gold .9999. 0.5 g. 11 mm. Proof. Mintage: 15,000 pieces. B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Description of the Noble 2023 Coin
One side depicts a three-quarter view of the typical “Noble” Viking ship from the front with realistic details. Below precious metal content, weight and denomination. Around the motif a ring of chain links, in it at the top the coat of arms of the Isle of Man.
The other side shows the portrait of Charles III by Glyn Davies (initials GD), around it the circumscription KING CHARLES III ISLE OF MAN 2023.
Background
In 2023, the Noble – the Isle of Man’s bullion coin – will be issued for the first time featuring the portrait of King Charles, designed by Glyn Davies. His initials GD can be seen at the neck section of the portrait.
In an interview, the artist revealed that he had already been thinking about portraying Charles on a coin a few years prior to Elizabeth II’s death. He had taken suitable pictures of the king – the prince at the time – during two chance encounters. The first was at Davies’ nephew’s graduation ceremony from the Royal Air Force, which was attended by Charles as the guest of honor. The second meeting took place during a surprise visit of Prince Charles to Davies’ home town.
It was particularly important to the designer to accurately depict the King’s age. For this purpose, he repeatedly studied anatomical details and exchanged ideas with the artist and engraver Raphael David Maklouf. Maklouf created the third numismatic effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, which appeared on coins issued between 1985 and 1997.
Glyn Davies is an engraver with the Royal Mint in Llantrisant and has already created many coin designs, including the image for the late Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee.
The Noble, which has been issued as an Isle of Man bullion coin since 1893 in a variety of metals and weights, traditionally features a Viking ship on one side, which has been re-interpreted by CIT in 2023 using state-of-the-art smartminting.
Further Information
www.cit.li/coins/1-64-noble-au-2022-2
www.cit.li/coins/one-nobel-silver-piedfort-2023
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CoinWeek Podcast #155: Ultra-Modern Coins Take Over
Mobile phone users. Stream this podcast for free by downloading the podomatic app or subscribe to the CoinWeek Podcast on iTunes.
In this episode of the CoinWeek Podcast, Charles Morgan and Chris Bulfinch have a lively, interesting, and provocative conversation with Chang Bullock and Orlando Lorenzana of CIT, where we talk about how ultra-modern coins (or postmodern coins, as we call them) have taken over the contemporary coin market and how CIT’s innovations in color and coin minting technology are changing the game for private and sovereign mints.
You cannot walk away from this podcast without learning something about the way minting has changed–and has always been changing throughout the course of monetary history–and we hope it will give you a clearer picture of where we are heading.
