Chasing beauty - What is beauty? Post your most beautiful world coins and medals!

[expat]

Beauty applies to many in my collection. I am always on the lookout for standard circulating coinage with interesting designs.

 

 

[robinjojo]

Wonderful coins and medals posted!  Thank you!

The Napoleonic period produced some remarkable medals and coins.  I don't have any medals, but I do have one coin, from the Cisalpine Republic, 1797 to 1802.  This coin was issued to celebrate the Convention of Alessandria (June 15, 1800= 27 Pratile, year VIII) following the victory of the French Army in the Battle of Marengo.

This scudo is dated year 8, or 1800.  One the obverse there is the allegory of the Cisalpine Republic, right, paying tribute to France. Below is a stork, symbolizing devotion, and a cornucopia, symbolizing abundance.  One the reverse is a legend surrounded by oak leaves: 

SCUDO
DI LIRE SEI
27·PRATILE (9th month of the French revolutionary calendar)
ANNO VIII

C# 2, G# 1, MIR# 477, Dav ECT# 199

Engraver: Giuseppe Salvirch

This coin came out of a World-Wide Coins of California auction in the early 1990s.

23.12 grams

Edited June 12, 2022 by robinjojo

[UkrainiiVityaz]

[John Conduitt]

Of modern British coins, I always think Victoria's bun head is an amazing piece of engraving. The Wyons did a pretty good job over the years.

Victoria Penny, 1865

London. Bronze, 31mm, 9.38g. Laureate and Draped Bust; VICTORIA D:G:BRITT:REG:F:D:. Redesigned Britannia seated with shield, holding trident, facing right ONE PENNY; date in exergue; 'L.C.Wyon' (S 3954).

[thenickelguy]

1930 Ville Du Havre Bronze Medal

 

 

This medal is signed PM Poisson on the reverse.
Pierre-Marie Poisson was born in Niort France on November 19th 1876 and died in Paris on January 11th 1953. He was a French sculptor and medallist.
Poisson was chosen to create the sculpture at The Le Havre War Memorial known as Monument de la Victoire.
The composition has various figures grouped around a central female allegory for "Victory". The figures on the northern side represent martial virtues with neo-classical warriors and a wounded soldier whilst the southern group cover the civilian virtues with a depiction of a fisherman, a woman holding grapes signifying agricultural abundance and a mother who holds up her child, a symbol of motherhood.

On the reverse is the Coat of arms of Le Havre, a castle that also resembles a crown within a half shell.

I have found this medal dated by engraving as early as 1942 but have seen it identified as a 1930 medal.

I don't know if there is any connection, but there was a French ship named SS Ville Du Havre that met disaster, sinking in 12 minutes after colliding with an English ship named Loch Earn in 1873.
Shortly after the collision, Ville du Havre's main and mizzen masts collapsed, smashing two of the liner's life boats and killing several people. The time for saving life was very short, and as it sank it broke into two pieces as she went down.
Captain Robertson of Loch Earn did all he possibly could to rescue the drowning and eventually 61 passengers and 26 of the crew were rescued and taken on board that ship.
However, 226 passengers and crew perished.
Loch Earn, herself in danger of sinking, was subsequently rescued by an American cargo ship, The Tremountain, and all Ville du Havre passengers and crew were transferred to that ship. Loch Earn, with its bow smashed in, commenced to sink as the bulkheads gave way, so she was abandoned at sea by her crew and sank shortly afterwards.

 

[DonnaML]

I think this is a beautiful and interesting medal, although my specimen is scratched and rather heavily spotted, especially on the reverse. Still, I love the toning. It's a Prussian medal from 1774, depicting the famous German-Jewish philosopher and scholar of the Haskalah [Jewish Enlightenment], Moses Mendelssohn. 

Prussia, "Moses Mendelssohn" AR medal by Jacob Abraham & Son [Abraham Abramson], undated [1774]. Obv. Bust left, MOSES MENDELSSOHN above, I. ABRAHAM & F. [= and son] beneath truncation / Rev. Butterfly perched on skull right (with scar on skull curving from top of skull where butterfly sits, down to  right eye socket), PHAEDON above; in exergue in two lines, NATUS MDCCXXIX [Born 1729].  43 mm., 27.75 g.  See Friedenberg, Daniel M., Jewish Medals From the Renaissance to the Fall of Napoleon (1503-1815) (Jewish Museum, New York, 1970) at pp. 54-55, 131 (ill. p. 54).*

*See Friedenberg p. 131: "Medal was issued to honor Mendelssohn, the great German Jewish leader of the Haskalah, for writing Phaedon, modeled on the Platonic dialogue. This well-known work was published in 1767." See also id. pp. 54-55, in the book's discussion of the medallists Jacob Abraham and his son Abraham Abramson [N.B., the references to Mendelssohn's physical handicaps are not phrased as sensitively as they might be today]: "We are fortunate that both father and son engraved some of their most prominent co-religionists. The most important of these medals, struck about 1774, is an homage to Moses Mendelssohn, the very great leader of the Haskalah movement. Both father and son collaborated on this work, which without question is among the dozen most important Jewish medals ever issued. On the obverse we see facing left the bust of Mendelssohn, with the overly massive shoulders butting the head, as is typical of hunchbacks. The long, searching nose, the high forehead, the deepset eyes, and thin, fixed mouth all reveal the restless mind of a scholar. The reverse shows a skull with a delicate butterfly perched on top, indicative of the immortality of the spirit. The symbolism refers to the well-known philosophic work by Mendelssohn entitled Phaedon, modeled on the dialogue of the same name by Plato. Happily for collectors, the medal was immediately recognized as an extraordinary piece, and many were struck. From certain imperfections seen on some copies, the writer is of the opinion that later dies were made or the dies were reused after corrosion."

Edited to add: I purchased the coin on 20 Jan. 2011 from the Educational Coin Co. in Highland, NY.

***

I don't suppose there's any way of treating the spots on the reverse without ruining the medal's appearance?

Finally, the description of an example of this medal sold by Heritage earlier this year including the following catalog references: "Wurzbach-6238, Hoffman-251, Mann-919, Stern-38." If anyone happens to have any bibliographic details on any of these references, I would appreciate your sharing them with me. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by DonnaML

[Prieure de Sion]

Ok… great revers 😄 fantastic…

[Qcumbor]

These have to be among my prefered designs on coins (non ancient world coins I mean)

 

Q

[robinjojo]

The gothic florin of Victoria has really nicely engraved dies, very much in the gothic style of that period.

Here's my "young head" crown, 1845, KM 741, a mid-grade coin, with an edge knock on the obverse, at around 11 o'clock.

 

 

[thenickelguy]

Paris 1931 International Colonial Exhibition Amerique Medal

 

This is one of four medals in a set that interested me very much because of the Indian in headdress on the obverse.

This is a duplicate of my favorite in the set. (shown below)

On the reverse of the Amerique medal is a reproduction of Mount Vernon, The home of George Washington which was one of the attractions to represent The United States in the Paris Exposition.

 

In 1932, Robert Moses had another replica of Mount Vernon built in Prospect Park in Brooklyn New York to to mark the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth. The building, constructed by Sears, Roebuck & Company and designed by architect Charles K. Bryant. It lasted lasted a mere two years before being torn down. The house was located at the base of Lookout Hill on the Peninsula of the Lake.

There were two different compositions of the four that I know of.
The bright brass issues were perhaps closer to 30 mm in diameter but the antiqued bronze were 32 mm. There may have also been brass in 32 mm size. These came in both red and blue boxes. I prefer the antiqued finish. My set was assembled one at a time.
The antiqued bronze seem to command a higher price.
 

This one, Amerique - AMERICA is probably the most popular, the others being
Afrique - AFRICA
Asie - ASIA
Oceanie - POLYNESIA (my second favorite design)

The Colonial Exhibitions were supposed to bolster popular support for the various colonial empires.
The 1924 British Empire Exhibition was one, as well as the successful 1931 Exposition coloniale in Paris.
Germany and Portugal also had such exhibitions. Belgium had a Foire coloniale as late as 1948.
Human zoos were featured in some of these exhibitions.

Members of the United States Indian Band playing at the Gare St Lazare, Paris on their arrival in France for the Paris Colonial Exhibition, 1931

I collect World Fair and Exposition medals and tickets or other ephemera. Getting a 1931 Paris ticket is unlikely so I found this booklet of 24 different postcards to go along with the 4 medal set. I like the simple Art Deco lines.

[expat]

Beautiful engraving on this reverse and a stylish obverse

 

[ewomack]

Some of what I consider the "most beautiful" coins in my pile:

Mexico 20 Pesos

Mexican Caballito



Marcus Aurelius denarius

Japan 1903 Meiji 36 One Yen


Saudi Arabia 1954 Quarter Rial

I've always loved the Buffalo nickel as well

Edited June 26, 2022 by ewomack

[Spirityoda]

Some of my beauties...

 

[Spirityoda]

more...

 

[Prieure de Sion]

Diameter 60mm with 97g weight. With Franciscan St. Bonaventure on the front and St. Francis on the back.

[panzerman]

On 6/5/2022 at 9:12 PM, Al Kowsky said:

I like world coins where the die work was still engraved by hand rather than done mechanically by a pantograph 😉. So my favorite world coin would be the Austrian thaler pictured below. I bought this coin about a year ago because I find it aesthetically pleasing, & the die work is of the highest quality for the 16th century. This coin wasn't hand struck, instead it was made on roller dies, a very early method of mechanical striking.

HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, Austria. Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, & Count of Tyrol, AD 1564-1595. Hall Mint. AR Thaler: 28.20 gm, 40 mm, 12 h. Davenport 8094. 

That is very beautifull/ Hall mint produced some really magnificent coins. Sadly, most are unaffordable.....

John

[panzerman]

I would pick the "Baroque Era" as the apex of coin art. From 1680-1750 the talents of the master engravers/ were unbeatable. My favorites are from the Holy Roman Empire Mints like Regensburg/ Hall/ Prague/ Salzburg/ Swiss Cantons/ Chur/ Zurich/ Basel/ Bern/ Transylvania/ Livonia. My all time is the AV 50 Enriques of Enrique IV Aragon. Here are some "affordable" coins that I have in my coll.

[maridvnvm]

Here are a few of the Greeks that I have owned.

Aeolis, Myrina, Tetradrachm

Obv:– Laureate head of Apollo right, hair braided, ribbons flowing behind.
Rev:– MYRINAION left, Apollo Grynios advancing right holding patera and laurel branch with fillets; omphalos and amphora at feet; monogram left, all within laurel wreath
Minted in Myrina. Mid 2nd Century B.C.
Reference:– Sacks, ANSMN 30, Issue 25

Kyme, Aeolis, AR Tetradrachm, 165 - 140 B.C.

Obv:- Head of Amazon Kyme right, wearing taenia
Rev:- Horse walking right, oinochoe below, ΚΥΜΑΙΟΝ left, ΚΑΛΛΙΑΣ (magistrate) in ex, all in wreath;
Ref:- SNG Von Aulock 1636, SNG Cop 103
ex Pegasi; ex Forum;
weight 16.392g, maximum diameter 33.1mm, die axis 0o

Ptolemaic Kingdom, Ptolemy VI Philometor

Obv:– Diademed head of Ptolemy I right wearing aegis
Rev:- PTOLEMAIOY BASILEOS, eagle standing left, head left, on thunderbolt, wings closed
Minted in Alexandria, B.C. 180-145
Reference:– Svoronos 1489, SNG Cop 262

14.031g, 27.3m, 0o

Seleucid Kingdom, Seleukos I, tetradrachm
Obv:- Head of Herakles right, clad in lion head headdress
Rev:- BASILEWS SELEUKOU, Zeus enthroned left, holding Nike and scepter, monogram left;
Antioch mint, c. 300 B.C.;
Tef:- SNG Spaer 2, WSM 923, CSE 8

[robinjojo]

In terms of ascetics and refinement, many of the tetradrachms of Syracuse certainly rate at or near the top of ancients.  This is particularly true of Syracuse, particularly from the middle of the 5th century BC forwards, following the beautiful, but rather static portraits of Arethusa of the first half of that century.

The coinage of Syracuse can be paradoxical to collectors, especially the coinage of the Second Democracy, whose outstanding portraits are undeniable.  However, at the same time the obverse dies are more often than not wanting, both in design and in execution of strike.  Couple with often irregular and poorly prepared flans, the overall effect is less than optimal ascetically.

This is my favorite Second Democracy tetradrachm of Syracuse.  Here, beauty is the focus on the portrait.  Actually the quadriga side is not bad for this issue.  Note that the obverse is to the right.

 

 

The decadrachms of Syracuse are the stuff of numismatic legend.  While relatively available (the Syracusans knew a good thing when they saw one) these coins always attract attention at auction and usually attain very healthy hammer prices.

I do not own a decadrachm and probably never will.  So, I must do with what I have.  This is my favorite tetradrachm of Syracuse, issued by Agathokles during 317-310 BC.  This is a coin that has been posted several times before, but I don't mind the repetition.  Here, beauty is present on both sides!

 

 

 

[thenickelguy]

Saint Michael the Archangel

 

I don't know if this is a 100+ year old medal, It does not look like it is. More research is needed for now. It could be though? Do you know?

It does name those in office of 1920 on the reverse. I've seen numerous medals that share the obverse with different persons listed on the back.

I recognized who is on this medal immediately when I saw it and for personal reasons, I thought it was an awesome piece of art.
I was not all that interested in the City Council of Brussels Belgium, but I will look into that. For me, this one was special.

Fontaine Saint-Michel, Paris
Constructed 1858-1860
Francisque Joseph Duret

[panzerman]

I love older coin designs/ however there are some that I like. Here are some of my 20 th century coins....

Biafra AV 25 Pounds 1969   80g.   50 mm.  (part of the 5 coin proof set struck by Valcambi Mint)

USA AV Union 1876 (Quintuple Double Eagle)  Morgan design 5 Oz. .999 gold neat coin

Uganda AV 1000 Schillings 1969 68mm.    140g, part of 11 coin proofset

(poorman's 40 Dukat)

However the engravers did a good job with their designs/ not like the modern crap out there.

That  Canada 1 ton gold coin stolen in Germany made my list for plain ugly......

[Hrefn]

@panzermanI agree with you as regards the designs of most modern coins.  Machine made, all alike, low relief, designed by committees.  Every once in a while there is an exception, and sometimes a work of art is produced.   I really love this 10 New Shekel coin from Israel, 2004.