Mongolian Falcon
Platinum
Mongolia. 25,000 Togrog 2023. Platinum .9995. 1 oz. 33 mm. Proof. Mintage: 199 pieces. Special technology: partial coloring.
Gold
Mongolia. 25,000 Togrog 2023. Gold .9999. 1 oz. 33 mm. Proof. Mintage: 199 pieces. Special technology: partial coloring.
Mongolia. 1,000 Togrog 2023. Gold .9999. 1/10 oz. 16 mm. Proof. Mintage: 999 pieces.
Silver
Mongolia. 2,000 Togrog 2023. Silver .999. 3 oz. 45 mm. Proof. Mintage: 999 pieces. Special technology: partial coloring.
Mongolia. 500 Togrog 2023. Silver .999. 1 oz. 38.61 mm. Proof. Mintage: 2,500 pieces.
All of them B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich; special technology: smartminting® (Ultra High Relief).
Description of the Coin
One side depicts the head of a saker falcon in a three-quarter view to the right, behind it the silhouette of the falcon in a steep dive.
The other side features the talons of a falcon sitting on a piece of wood; in the upper field an octagonal medallion with the coat of arms of the Bank of Mongolia, below in Cyrillic script the respective denomination and MONGOLIA in Latin script, in addition to weight, fineness, and material. In the left field a geometrical pattern and the year of issue, 2023.
Background
In 2020, CIT presented the first issue of the Wild Mongolia series. It serves to illustrate the enhanced possibilities of the new smartminting process through designs that are highly demanding in terms of minting technology. These features go beyond a particularly high relief to include the off-centered distribution of the relief’s highest points on both sides of the coin. These characteristics define all issues of this series: Majestic Eagle, Mystic Wolf, and Magnificent Argali will be followed in 2023 by the Mongolian Falcon.
The Mongolian Falcon is also referred to as the saker falcon, deriving its name from the Arabic word çaqr. This recalls the fact that falconry was originally practiced in both the Middle and Far East before the Crusades brought it to the West. In his Book of Wonders, Marco Polo recounts that the court of Kublai Khan set out to falconry with 10,000 falconers. Although this number must not be understood in the sense of modern statistics, it shows how important falconry was to Mongolian rulers. This has not changed to this day. In 2010, falconry in Mongolia was declared to be part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
Five different versions of the Mongolian Falcon will be released in 2023. What they all have in common is the ultra-high, off-centered relief created by smartminting technology – which achieves especially impressive results in platinum, an extremely brittle material that is very hard to mint. All one-ounce coins have a realistic partial coloring thanks to which the eyes of the falcon seem to stare at the observer. A new feature is the ultra-high relief of the octagonal medallion, which is tilted downwards in three dimensions.
With Mongolian Falcon, CIT created an artistic interpretation of this special animal to delight both coin collectors and ornithologists alike.
Further Information
www.cit.li/coins/mongolian-falcon-platinum-1-oz
www.cit.li/coins/mongolian-falcon-gold-1-oz
www.cit.li/coins/mongolian-falcon-gold-1-10-oz
www.cit.li/coins/mongolian-falcon-silver-3-oz
www.cit.li/coins/mongolian-falcon-silver-1-oz
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CoinWeek Podcast #155: Ultra-Modern Coins Take Over
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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.
Wow! Brilliantly detailed design, and yes–the eyes are mesmerizing. From these photos, I think the silver version actually looks the sharpest.