Posts Tagged ‘egg coin’
An ‘egg’cellent piece of craftsmanship from The House of Fabergé …
Fabergé Eggs are some of the most valuable pieces of art on the planet, renowned for their lavish artistry, extraordinary detail and immense value. Nowadays, intact Fabergé Eggs are thought to value up to $33 million and are usually kept away under lock and key in museums, art galleries and billionaires personal collections – although some have vanished without a trace…
A bit of history…
It was in 1855 that the first Fabergé Egg was created, commissioned by Tsar Alexander III for his wife as an Easter gift. She was so thrilled with the gift that it then became a tradition that the eggs would carry on being made, two each year, as gifts for wives and mothers of aristocracy.
A little different than our (now) traditional chocolate Easter Egg!
It is thought that around 69 eggs were created from 1885 to 1917, each carefully curated by Peter Fabergé and an expert group of craftsman that used only the finest precious metals and gemstones found around the world.
What’s more, each of the eggs were rumoured to contain a unique surprise – like the ruby pendant found in Empress Maria’s first egg.
The greatest Easter Egg hunt of all time…
The fatal fall of the Romanov dynasty during the Russian revolution meant that the inaugural Fabergé Egg collection – that had been mounting over the years – was stolen and scattered throughout the world.
As the revolutionaries topped the monarchy, it is thought that some of the eggs were destroyed and others taken to sell in markets. For the last 100 years, eager arts dealers have hunted them out and with little success. One egg in particular – Nécessaire Egg – was sold to a mystery buyer in 1889 and has never been seen since!
The hunt for Fabergé Eggs has become one of the most notorious Easter Egg hunts ever, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get involved…
Your unique way to own one…
Whilst most people will never be able to own an original Fabergé Egg, the multi-award winning designers at CIT have enabled everyone to own their own piece of Fabergé, in honour of the 100th Anniversary since Peter Faberge’s death.
Before anything else though, you should know that this coin has proven so popular that it’s already SOLD OUT at the mint! This coin truly is a piece of excellence and pushes the limits on what can be achieved through modern day minting techniques.
2oz Silver Apple Blossom Fabergé Egg Coin
** NOW SOLD OUT **
The stunning 2oz Silver Coin features the Apple-Blossom Egg – one of the largest eggs ever created by The House of Fabergé and the only one to lie on its side. The egg now takes pride of place in Lichtenstein Museum and is made of Jade, Gold and Diamonds.
It is fair to say the advanced minting techniques this coin has gone through does not disappoint. Leading colourisation techniques and selective gilding have captured the essence of the Apple Blossom Egg, perfectly replicating the intense jade colour and precious gemstone detailing.
But that’s not all, the coin has also undergone an advance form of Smartminting to create high-relief. While conventional minting procedures require more raw material to increase the relief, Smartminting coins attain their impressive relief without the need for more material – suitably encapsulating the elegant nature of the coins inspiration.
This coin is truly worthy of this cultural icon.
Given the unique nature of this coin, the rarity of its edition matches that of the real Fabergé Egg itself. Only 888 will be produced for collectors worldwide, of which the FULL edition limit is already allocated!
In fact, even as an official distributor it was a challenge to get just a small allocation of these coins for UK collectors. Unfortunately, Collectors Gallery were only able to exclusively acquire 15 of these gorgeous coins for collectors and they’ve now SOLD OUT.
If you’re interested
Click here to add the The 2oz Silver Faberge Egg Coin to your collection >>
Discover the world’s 10 most oddly shaped coins…
One of the most fascinating things about coin collecting is of course the design on the coin – but what about the shape of the coin itself? As minting technology continues to advance, coins are being struck in all kinds of exciting and innovative shapes.
I’ve compiled a selection of coins which I consider to be 10 of the most collectable unusually shaped coins around…
1. The FIRST rugby coin of its kind…
To mark the Rugby World Cup last year, France issued the first ever coin shaped like a rugby ball.
The concave coins proved to be extremely popular with collectors worldwide, with many keen to add a coin with such a unique pedigree to their collections.
2. A coin shaped like a country…
The Perth Mint regularly issue map-shaped coins, taking advantage of their country’s unique and recognisable outline.
This series makes use of purpose-built tooling and die design to give the coin its distinctive shape.
The first coin in the series featured the Kookaburra, issued in 2012, since then there have been a variety of different animals to feature on the coin, with the most recent being the Redback Spider.
3. The ‘Imperial Egg’…
This impressive looking coin boasts beautiful enamelled colour and a shimmering gemstone inlay.
The ‘Imperial Egg’ Coin is based on the work of Fabergé and proved to be very popular with collectors last year, especially during the Easter period.
4. You’ll be lucky to find one of these…
You certainly won’t find this Four-Leaf Clover Coin in a field, no matter how hard you look! Legend has it that Eve took a four-leaf-clover from paradise as a memento for the wonderful time she had spent there – they’ve been considered lucky ever since.
Struck in gold to a proof finish, this cleverly produced coin could certainly be regarded as lucky by collectors who have one in their collection – as it is now highly sought-after.
5. The Earth-shattering coin… 
The extra-terrestrial chondrite that has been set into the centre of this coin was sourced from a meteorite that crash-landed in Morocco in 2005. The space rock shattered into several pieces when it entered the Earth’s atmosphere.
The coin itself has been struck in a concave shape to represent the crater in which the piece of meteorite landed.
6. Is it a coin or is it a bar? It’s both…
This rectangular silver coin-bar features one of the world’s most iconic landmarks – London’s Tower Bridge.
It’s not often that you see coins minted in this shape – the ‘bar’ format is usually reserved for bullion.
This stunning coin boasts intricately detailed engraving and tiny detail can be seen on the Tower Bridge to create windows, clock and brickwork.
7. The poppy-shaped remembrance coin…
This coin’s unique shape and rich red printing on the reverse takes inspiration from the poppy, which has become synonymous throughout the world as a symbol of remembrance and the charitable work of The Royal British Legion.
Issued to commemorate the end of the First World War and to Remember the Fallen, the Poppy Coin is a significant issue that is poignant to many.
8. The coin that sold out in two days…
This remarkable coin is shaped like the iconic Canadian maple leaf, and proved so popular that it sold out at the Royal Canadian Mint in just 2 days.
Canadian Maple Leaf coins are some of the world’s most recognised Silver coins. This issue takes the design to a whole new level, complete with a special wooden display case. A stunning display that would certainly stand out on any mantlepiece!
9. The coin that combines heaven and earth…
Issued in China since 221 BCE, the Chinese Lucky Cash Coin features a square hole at its centre to represent Earth, while the circle symbolises heaven. This combination of heaven and earth make the coin a symbol of harmony and prosperity.
Chinese fortune-tellers would use cash coins, a tortoise shell, and their skill at numerology to tell the future. Because of their association with mystical prediction, these coins from China are thought to bring good luck.
10. And last but not least…
The playful Russian ‘Matryoshka Dolls’ first appeared in the late 19th century, now they’ve been immortalised on a silver coin.
This oval issue is displayed within special bespoke packaging which consists of two traditional wooden nesting dolls placed one inside the other – the coin and packaging are both something that I’ve never come across before!
Are you lucky enough to have any in your collection or have you perhaps seen any that you think should be on the list? Let me know in the comments below.
Want to own an unusual coin?
We still have a small allocation remaining of The Lucky Four Leaf Clover Gold Coin.