CIT’s Matterhorn – 2 Kilo Edition
If you have ever stood in front of the Matterhorn, you will never forget the sight. The majesty of the iconic mountain above Zermatt attracts tourist from all over the world to the Swiss Valais. Any coin enthusiast who holds the new CIT commemorative coin Matterhorn – 2 Kilo Edition in their hands will probably feel the same way.
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Edward Whymper assembled a group of seven mountaineers in record time to storm the summit of the Matterhorn on 14 July 1865.
It is hard to believe that the monumental reality of the Matterhorn has actually been captured on a coin. But this is precisely what the designers at CIT have achieved in collaboration with the engineers at B. H. Mayer. The Matterhorn – 2 Kilo Edition is a numismatic highlight. Magnificent smartminting® 4.0 combined with subtle colour application create a striking tribute to an iconic mountain, reproduced to scale with an incredible relief of 14 mm(sic!).
Switzerland / 250 Francs / Silver .9999 / 2 kg / 140 mm / Mintage: 50 pieces.
Description of the Coin
One side is slightly coloured and shows a three-dimensional representation of the Matterhorn true to scale; in the background a historical map of the area with the geographical designations Matterhorn / 4478 m / ou Mt Cervin – Matterhorngletscher – Furgengletscher – Hörnli – Schwarzensee – Unter Gabelhorn – Zermatt – Hohthäligrat.
The other side also shows the Matterhorn, with the seven men who attempted the first ascent of the Matterhorn standing in front of it. In the background the same map as on the obverse, on it 14. JULI 1865 / MATTERHORN; at the bottom center, in the form of a coin the circumscription CONFOEDERATIO HELVETICA 250 FR / 2025 with the Swiss cross. On the rim: “AT 1.40 P.M. THE WORLD WAS AT OUR FEET AND THE MATTERHORN WAS CONQUERED. HURRAH! NOT A FOOTSTEP COULD BE SEEN.“
Background
The other side commemorates Edward Whymper’s dramatic first ascent of the Matterhorn. Competing against his former friend Jean-Antoine Carrel, he assembled a group of seven mountaineers in record time to conquer the summit on 14 July 1865. The seven men are depicted here before their ascent. Whymper later put his feelings about reaching the summit into words, which can be read on the edge of the coin: “At 1.40 p.m. the world was at our feet and the Matterhorn was conquered. Hurrah! Not a footstep could be seen.” But the hasty expedition ended in disaster. Four of the seven members of the expedition team fell and died. Jean-Antoine Carrel’s group reached the summit of the Matterhorn just three days later and returned safely to the valley.
Matterhorn seen from the Gornergrat railway, Riffelberg / Zermatt, Switzerland. Photo: Andrew Bossi via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5.
With only 50 specimens produced, the Matterhorn – 2 Kilo Edition will become a numismatic rarity and its technical sophistication will set the standard for future generations of commemorative coins.
If you want to experience all three dimensions of this coin, you have to watch the corresponding film:
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