CIT’s Historical Monuments – The Eiffel Tower
Just in time for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, CIT presents an artistic monument in the form of a coin dedicated to the city’s iconic landmark.
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The tallest building in Paris is one of the most visited landmarks in the world, with around seven million visitors per year.
Surely everybody knows that this is the Eiffel Tower. At 312 meters, it was the world’s tallest building for about 40 years. It was built for the 1889 Paris Exposition, an event organized by France to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Incidentally, this meant that the U.S. and Switzerland were the only exhibitors representing industrialized nations. All monarchies boycotted the exposition.
Cook Islands / 10 Dollars / Silver .9999 / 2 oz / 38.61 mm / Mintage figure: 1889 pieces.
Description of the Coin
The coins were minted with Antique finish and smartminting® technology in Ultra High Relief at the B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt in Munich. One side shows the Eiffel Tower, behind it a stylized Paris city plan. A star on it marks the position of the Eiffel Tower. Around motif PARIS EIFFEL TOWER 2024. The blank has a flat surface at the bottom, enabling it to stand upright.
Cook Islands / 25 Dollars / Silver .9999 / 5 oz / 50 mm / Mintage figure: 889 pieces.
The other side continues the three-dimensional depiction of the Eiffel Tower. In the background a close view of the tower’s first floor. To the right the portrait of Charles III by Dan Thorne (initials DT) to the left; around it the circumscription COOK ISLANDS CHARLES III and the respective face value.
Background
Originally, the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be dismantled after the exposition. But the people of Paris were far too excited about the tower to have it disappear again. Ever since, this excitement has been part and parcel of every tourist sightseeing program. Well over 318 billion people have climbed the tower by now. And on average, two people propose to their loved ones in the famous Jules Verne restaurant every day.
A photochromic print shows the Eiffel Tower during the 1889 World’s Fair. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain.
For all those who cherish a precious memory of visiting the Eiffel Tower, the third issue of CIT’s Historical Monuments series is a wonderful souvenir that can be placed vertically for everyone to see. Just like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, Eiffel Tower is a numismatic miniature sculpture with a flat surface at the bottom, enabling it to stand upright. Its incredible attention to detail and the ultra-high relief will enchant its owner just like the Eiffel Tower has been enchanting its visitors for more than 130 years.
If you want to experience all three dimensions of this coin, you have to watch the corresponding film:
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