Indian Summer Globe
Cook Islands. 1 Dollar. 2018. Silver .999. 1/10 oz. Prooflike. Diameter 18 mm. Mintage: 2018 pcs. B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Description
The obverse shows the portrait of the English Queen with the signature IRB for Ian Rank-Broadley along with the legend ELIZABETH II – 1 DOLLAR – COOK ISLANDS. A broad border as well as the exergue of the coin – the numismatic term for the segment which is set apart by an imaginary base line – is frosted.
The reverse features a young couple with a pram and a dog underneath an autumnal tree shedding its first leaves. In the field on the left, 2018. The ground, presented here as a lawn, fades into a frosted exergue which takes up the obverse. Here, too, the border is frosted.
The coin ships in a Vienna snow globe.
Story
On the occasion of the Tokyo International Coin Convention 2017, CIT Coin Invest AG presented its innovative – and immediately sold-out – Cherry Blossom Globe. This small work of art was the first to fuse a coin with the old Viennese snow globe tradition. Now it has a successor: The Indian Summer Globe, which, instead of cherry blossoms, features colorful autumnal leaves falling to the ground of the Viennese snow globe.
The technique was invented by Erwin Perzy, a maker of surgical instruments. He lived in Vienna around 1900 and developed a fascination for shoemaker’s lamps. These glass lamps able to concentrate diffuse light had been, until then, an indispensable source of light for artisans, but were increasingly replaced by electric light. A pity, if you think about it, since the globe which seemed to glow from the inside possessed its own aesthetic appeal. Which Erwin Perzy wanted to preserve for posterity by turning it into a small stage, brought to life by falling snow. The Viennese snow globes, whose design has been perfected by the Perzy family over generations, have become a popular souvenir and collector’s object, inspiring imitation around the world.
For Cherry Blossom Globe and Indian Summer Globe, CIT Coin Invest AG collaborated closely with the Perzy family to create these unique little works of art in the old Viennese tradition.
The coin which is at the center of the Indian Summer Globe takes up the theme of the Cherry Blossom coin: Then, a young couple was kissing underneath a blooming cherry tree; now, they are taking a walk underneath a magnificent tree turning into autumnal colors, pushing a stroller.
The coin itself is special, too, as it unites three different surface finishes in one. While the field sparkles in proof quality, exergue and border are frosted, and the tree is covered in autumnal leaves thanks to intricate color application. Same-color flakes swirl around in the Viennese globe in which the coin is embedded.
While the shoemaker’s lamp was once state-of-the-art technology, artisanal craft and innovative coin minting today combine to create a precious little artwork honoring the tradition of the shoemaker’s lamp.
Further information
https://www.coin-invest.li/coins/indian-summer-globe/
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Laughing Buddha 2018
Palau. 10 $. 2018. Silver .999. 2 oz. Proof. Diameter 38.61 mm. Mintage: 888 pcs. B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Description
The obverse shows the coat of arms of the Republic of Palau. Around it, the inscription REPUBLIC OF PALAU / 10 $, which in turn is surrounded by a pattern that takes up the ornamental decoration of the reverse.
The reverse shows a reclined laughing Buddha, facing right. His back is supported by an alms bag spilling coins. In the left hand, he is holding a fan. He is reclining on a stylized Lotus flower, whose front features the incused lettering LAUGHING BUDDHA / 2018. The background depicts an intricate mandala pattern.
Story
The new version of the laughing Buddha, which CIT Coin Invest presents after the great success of the preceding 2017 edition, unites a wealth of innovative minting technologies to turn a beloved motif into a small numismatic artwork.
Let’s begin with the complex combination of high-relief minting with smartminting© and the precise gilding of the laughing Buddha motif, minted in spectacularly high relief. The stylized Lotus flower and the background of the coin are kept in Black Proof to emphasize the color contrast. The fine relief of the background, which serves as a counterpoint to the high relief, presents a technical challenge, which has been mastered on this coin.
The complex technology-mix was one of the major factors that contributed to the popularity of the 2017 Laughing Buddha. But evidently the motif itself is also attractive: The monk, named Budai after his alms bag, who is known as the “Laughing Buddha” in Chinese folklore, is an important figure in Zen-Buddhism in particular. In his bag he brings abundance, wealth, and joy. At the same time, his happy nature symbolizes that even the poor man can feel carefree and content.
Further information
https://www.coin-invest.li/coins/laughing-buddha-18/
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Maneki Neko – Special Shapes Gold
Palau. 1 $. o. J. (2018). Gold .9999. 0.5 g. Brilliant Uncirculated. Size 13.92 mm. Mintage: 15,000 pcs. B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Description
The obverse shows a circular impression with the coat of arms of the Republic of Palau inside. Surrounding it, the legend REPUBLIC OF PALAU / 1 $. The reverse presents a stylised beckoning cat (Maneki Neko).
Story
Everybody who can call a cat his or her own knows that cats are very special animals. For all cat lovers, CIT Coin Invest AG has designed a special gold coin in the shape of what is probably the world’s most famous cat: Maneki Neko – a beckoning cat.
The tradition of putting up ceramic cats with a raised paw can be traced back to 16th-century Japan. They were modelled on real cats, whose grooming movements were interpreted as a sort of waving. It is said about them that their “beckoning” could attract luck, wealth, or customers.
A beckoning cat must display several features: It always carries a (red) collar and a small golden bell. One of its forepaws must be raised. Here, it is of crucial importance which one that is. The right paw promises luck and riches, the left paw attracts visitors or customers.
Our little beckoning cat is equipped with an additional symbol: a Japanese koban, the most important gold coin from the Edo period.
Maneki Neko is the latest edition in the popular Special Shapes Gold Coins series, which CIT Coin Invest has been producing since 2007. The specially designed aesthetics of the series is reminiscent of modern popular culture and thus fits the beckoning cat, whose latest renditions in the shape of “Hello Kitty” have found their way into girl’s bedrooms all over the world, beautifully.
Further information
https://www.coin-invest.li/coins/maneki-neko/
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