Matterhorn
Cook Islands. 10 Dollars 2022. Silver .999. 2 oz. 38.61 mm. Proof. Mintage: 999. Special technology: smartminting (Ultra High Relief). B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.
Description of the Coin
One side features the Matterhorn, above it MATTER-/HORN / 4,478m; next to the altitude an ice axe.
The other side features the portrait of Elizabeth II, below IRB (= Ian Rank-Broadley), around it the legend ELIZABETH II 10 DOLLARS COOK ISLANDS / 2022.
Background
The story of the first ascent of the Matterhorn is probably one of the greatest adventures of alpinism.
On 14 July 1865, two teams engaged in a spectacular race that ended tragically: four of the seven victorious summiteers fell into their deaths on the descent. The question as to whether someone was responsible for this tragedy, who this someone was, and whether it could have been avoided was already dealt with by Swiss courts, and media outlets are still dealing with it to this very day. As recently as in June 2018, the Swiss Radio DRS broadcasted a one-and-a-half-hour documentary on the subject.
CIT dedicates a coin to this mountain of fate. In purist design, the issue displays the striking profile from its probably most famous side: where the east and north faces of the Matterhorn meet at Hörnligrat. This very path was taken by the team of climbers – formed on the initiative of Edward Whymper and led by mountain guide Peter Taugwalder – who successfully completed the first ascent.
Thanks to highly developed smartminting technology, the commemorative coin Matterhorn shows the mountain in its monumental glory. Applying color to such an ultra-high relief issue is extremely demanding from the technical point of view and CIT mastered this challenge brilliantly. The contrast between the plain background in Proof quality and the naturalistic design of the Matterhorn creates an effect that convinces both alpinists as well as connoisseurs of modern minting technology: with Matterhorn, CIT has literally opened up a new dimension in the representation of our mountain world.
Further Information
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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, we 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.
