Sicile, Syracuse, Agathoclès (317-289 av. J.-C.).
Hadrien (117-138). Aureus 134-138, Rome.
Multiple of 2 solidi
Gold pattern of 100 francs bare head, Proof, smooth edge,
A under the bust, 1855, A, Paris.
Gold pattern of 100 francs laureate head,
Specimen (SP) 1862, E, Paris.
Crown, gold strike, Proof 1831, London.
5 pounds “Una and the lion”, headband with 5 rolls
and 9 leaves, Proof 1839, London.
Crown pattern, smooth edge, by William Wyon,
Proof 1845, London.
Ferdinand II Gonzaga (1575-1630).
10 doppie 1610, Guastalla.
Gold medal, module of 20 ducats
CIT’s Iron Maiden Series: Pop Culture Meets Minting Technology
It all started with one of the creative minds on the CIT design team being a huge Iron Maiden fan. And Iron Maiden’s managers were thinking of creating a standard merchandise product like any other. But then the creativity that is typical of CIT kicked in, and in combination with the masterful use of state-of-the-art minting technology at B. H. Mayers Kunstprägeanstalt in Munich, a series was created that was unlike any other. The first coins were released in 2022. And at the end of 2024, CIT will conclude the series with the Eddie Collection.
Inhalt
CIT teamed up with Iron Maiden to release a coin series, celebrating the creativity of one of the world’s most successful heavy metal groups.
Iron Maiden’s Album Covers: Part of Modern Pop Culture
Let us begin with the album covers of Iron Maiden, which played a decisive role in this process. From the very beginning it was decided not to go for a main-stream approach – no picture of the smiling musicians or anything like that. Instead, the group looked for an artist who could design creative visuals for their album covers. British artist Derek Riggs, who was still very young at the time, was on their shortlist. The group discovered a drawing in his portfolio that resounded with them. Electric Matthew got some hair and became Eddie, or rather Eddie the Head, the group’s mascot. Today, Eddie is a cult figure. He is part of Iron Maiden’s stage performance, has his own video game and is the namesake of the group’s Boeing, which they use to transport the crew, stage decorations and technical equipment.
Most importantly, Eddie is featured on every Iron Maiden album cover – always in a new and fitting incarnation.
Cook Islands. 5 Dollars 2022 The Number of the Beast. 1 oz. Silver .999. Mintage: 1982. Obsidian Black.
The Design – Smartminting®, Color and Clever Details
An album cover is rectangular, two-dimensional and achieves its effect primarily through color. A coin, on the other hand, is usually circular in shape, and while it can use a variety of finishes and colors, it is the relief that brings it to life. The fact that turning an album cover into a coin is a highly sophisticated task is illustrated by many cheap-looking merchandise products. CIT’s products, however, are in a class of their own. They do an ingenious job of transforming the design into a coin, making it look even more convincing. And because every design requires a different technique to turn it into a numismatic issue, no two coins in the Iron Maiden series are alike.
Cook Islands. 10 Dollars 2022 Senjutsu. 2 oz. Silver .999. Mintage: 999. Proof.
Take the Senjutsu coin released in 2022 as an example. While the samurai-clad mascot Eddie is depicted against a simple black background on the album cover, CIT reduced the cover to its main motif, presenting it against a completely different background. Using state-of-the-art smartminting® technology, Eddie protrudes the edge, which is minted in Proof quality. The subtle color application contrasts with the band name, which is also minted in Proof quality.
Cook Islands. 5 Dollars 2022 Fear of the Dark. 1 oz. Silver .999. Mintage: 1982. Obsidian Black.
For this cover, the designers decided to stay true to their source material. The Fear of the Dark album cover is reminiscent of a scene from a graphic novel. The effect of the depiction is created by presenting a hand-drawn motif against an eerie backdrop. Since smartminting® offered no additional effect, it was decided to reproduce the original cover on the coin, placing it within an Obsidian Black area to enhance the effect of the drawing.
Cook Islands. 10 Dollars 2023 Piece of Mind. 2 oz. Silver .999. Mintage: 999. Proof.
A change in color and a focus on what is most important – this is how CIT translated the Piece of Mind album cover into a coin, which shows Eddie with opened skull, chained up in a padded cell. On the coin, smartminting® makes the three-dimensional mascot Eddie seem to leap at the observer while the clearly outlined padded cell of the cover fades into the background. Reduced to a section of the album cover, Eddie stands out against a Proof background that is very delicately colored in black and white.
A nice detail: the titles on the album can be read in micro minting on the rim.
Cook Islands. 5 Dollars 2024 Powerslave. 0.5 g. Gold .9999. Mintage: 15,000.
CIT took a completely different approach for Powerslave. The complex album cover, which combined an Egyptian-like temple façade with a pyramid, was reduced to the dominating mask of Pharaoh Eddie.
Cook Islands 1 Dollar 2024 Book of Souls. Silver .999. Mintage: 5,000.
CIT targeted a different group of customers with its 2024 Iron Maiden silver banknote dedicated to the Book of Souls. Since the technical possibilities regarding banknote design and printed album covers are very similar, the motif was transferred very accurately.
Issues released in cooperation with AC/DC in 2018 and 2019
Issues released in cooperation with AC/DC in 2018 and 2019
Issues released in cooperation with AC/DC in 2018 and 2019
Issues released in cooperation with AC/DC in 2018 and 2019
By the way, this is not the first time for CIT to break new numismatic ground in cooperation with a heavy metal band. In 2018 and 2019, some of the most exciting innovations in the field of minting technology were inspired by AC/DC album covers. If you take a look at The Razors Edge issue today, you will immediately notice that this coin was a milestone towards the Ultra Deep Relief of the Topography series.
The last issue in the Iron Maiden series – inspired by the band’s album covers but true to the style of CIT. Cook Islands. 20 Dollars 2024 Eddie Collection. 3 oz. Silver .9999. Mintage: 666. Black Proof.
The final issue of the Iron Maiden series by CIT will be released in 2024. It is a synthesis of the previous issues, drastically reducing the motif to the most important details. It is all about Eddie, which is why the final release will be called Eddie Collection.
Visually, this issue stands out for its combination of Black Proof and High Relief. When you hold the coin in your hand, you will be amazed at the level of detail and the aesthetics of the ugly. This coin therefore provides an insight into what it takes to create beautiful coins. It is not a matter of using as many techniques as possible. It is about perfectly executing those techniques that are ideally suited to create the desired effect.
