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New Coin in Volcano Series for Mount Vesuvius
Following on the success of last year's coin about the Erta Ale volcano in Ethiopia, the Mint of Poland has produced the second coin in its volcano series that has one release per year. These coins are issued under the legal authority of Niue, a British Commonwealth nation.
This time
Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii, Italy is the subject. And Vesuvius is one of the best-known
volcanoes in the world.
The new coin
has many interesting features that really bring Vesuvius to life.
First, the
coin is concave on one side and convex on the other and shows details of the
volcano on both sides. The convex
obverse shows the volcano itself and its craters as well as a a smaller than
usual effigy of Queen Elizabeth, while the concave reverse is shaped like the
crater at the top of a volcano. At the
center is a real piece of lava inlay that actually comes from the Vesuvius
volcano.
Second, the
coin is struck in ultra high relief with an amazing depth of 8 millimeters, and
comes with an antique silver finish.
That makes this coin just about the deepest relief ever seen on a coin.
In addition,
only 688 of these coins are being minted, and they come housed in an attractive
wooden box with a thematic colored package and a certificate of authenticity.
The coin is
made of two troy ounces of .999 fine silver, has a diameter of 50
millimeters, and a weight of 62.2 grams.
Mount
Vesuvius is best known for the eruption there in 79 A.D., which killed 16,000
people and destroy the city of Pompeii and several nearby towns. Pompeii was legendary for its collection of
sculptures and art works, including many of an erotic nature.
Vesuvius is
located 5.6 miles east of Naples, a major Italian city and port in the southern
part of the country. It is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in
the world because it is located in such a densely populated area with 3 million
people just miles away.
The volcano
has erupted many times since then, and it is the only one in Europe that has
erupted in the past century.
The Vesuvius
coin is being sold in the U.S. and
overseas by First Coin Company (www.firstcoincompany.com),
which is an official distributor for the coin.
The coins have a release price of $249.90 with free worldwide shipping,
and if you are assessed any import fees or duties, First Coin Company will
refund those to you.
The coin is
expected to ship later in November, but delays with this type of release are
not unusual. Because prices fluctuate
and usually increase after pre-release, it is generally a good idea to buy
earlier even if that means waiting for delivery.
I expect
this coin to sell quickly given the popularity of the 2014 issue and of the
subject matter. Readers can get 3% off
the price from First Coin Company with the code, "THANKYOU."