The Fox Inaugurates CIT’s Woodland Spirits Series of Coins of Mongolia

April 11, 2018

Woodland Spirits – Fox

Mongolia. 500 Togrog. 2018. Silver .999. 1 oz. Selective coloring. 38.61 mm. Prooflike. Mintage: 1,500 pcs. B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich.

Description

The obverse shows the coat of arms of the Bank of Mongolia against a woodland setting, below, the inscription 500 Togrog in Cyrillic script and the inscription MONGOLIA 1 oz .999 SILVER in Latin script.

The reverse features the frontal portrait of a fox, slightly turned to the left, hiding behind a meadow of flowers. Below, the title of the series, Woodland Spirits; in the field to the right, the year of issue, 2018.

Story

The woods: A haunting experience for man during the Middle Ages. Stretching between the sparse clearings of civilization were the dark, pathless woods. In the dense shrubs animals and mysterious creatures could be lurking, sometimes a danger to the helpless traveller but sometimes also an aid.

This primeval experience is reflected in many European and Asian fairy tales and myths.

For Mongolia, Coin Invest Trust AG (CIT) dedicates a new series to these magical creatures. Its first issue features the fox, which is believed to be an exceptionally smart animal in many countries. In Mongolia, too, the fox is known as a clever counsellor who aids the fairy tale’s hero in rescuing the king’s daughter or in healing grave illnesses. But the fox can also turn into a double-faced traitor. These two faces make him a dubious creature, able to be the hero’s salvation or his downfall.

The first issue in the “Woodland Spirits” series brings out the animal’s good-natured side more than its dark side. The fox is hiding behind brightly coloured flowers so that only its intelligent-looking head is visible: the watchful eyes, the typical short snout, and the ears curiously pointed up. The three-dimensional look of this depiction is created by the high relief of smartminting technology. Eyes, snout, the ears’ inside and the throat section feature restrained selective colouring to enhance the three-dimensional effect. The flowers – bluebottles, poppies, chrysanthemums and others – are also colored in pastels, forming a beautiful contrast to the prooflike field.