CIT’s Underwater Fantasy – Mermaids
For a long time, we knew less about the bottom of our oceans than we did about the surface of the moon. That all changed when a Swiss called Jacques Piccard and his Trieste plunged 35,800 feet into the Mariana Trench. What he discovered down there is at least as fascinating as the many myths and legends that lead us into the world of mermaids. The legendary deep sea is also the subject of the new character of CIT, which in turn was shaped with the Smartminting® technology in the Ultra High Relief with partial enameling at B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt in Munich.
Content
Description of the Coin
On one side, a blue enameled gate to an underwater world opens in the center: a swimmer dives towards a ruin where a mermaid is waiting for him. The enameled center is surrounded by marine plants and animals, with a mermaid on the right. At the top Underwater 2024 Fantasy.
The other side shows a scale pattern. In the center are two mermaids inspired by the coat of arms of Palau. One is lying on a rock, the other is blowing a conch shell. Circumscription REPUBLIC OF PALAU 20 DOLLARS.
Palau / 20 Dollars / Silver .9999 / 3 oz / 50 mm / Mintage figure: 777 pieces.
Background
The more we learn about the underwater world, its colorful, bizarrely shaped creatures and the sunken testaments to mankind, the more it captures our imagination and inspires our dreams. CIT translated this feeling into a numismatic shape. On behalf of the South Sea island state of Palau, a beautiful commemorative coin entitled Underwater Fantasy was created, one side of which presents a novel re-interpretation of Palau’s coats of arms.
The depths of the sea with its creatures and the sunken evidence of human life inspire the imagination of people, including Jules Verne. Here are illustrations by Alphonse de Neuville for his “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”
From a technical point of view, the enamel on one side, reproducing underwater visuals, is highly remarkable. The enamel was applied to the relief of the coin. This is extremely challenging technically speaking, but also creates an incredible effect. So be quick if you want to order this coin. Underwater Fantasy is CIT’s first use of this technology. However, the use of enamel on coins is nothing new. The first color commemorative coins were made using enamel. And yet, at the time the enamel was applied to a smooth surface, not a minted coin! If you compare Underwater Fantasy with these earlier pieces, it becomes clear how quickly minting technology has advanced.
If you want to experience all three dimensions of this coin, you have to watch the corresponding film:
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