Saturday, 10 October 2020

1509) Hermes, "Greek Mythology - The Olympian Gods Coin Series": A Gold Coin of 100 Euros issued by the Bank of Greece, minted by the Hellenic Mint in its facilities at Athens: Coin issue date: 21.09.2020:

1509) Hermes, "Greek Mythology - The Olympian Gods Coin Series": A Gold Coin of 100 Euros issued by the Bank of Greece, minted by the Hellenic Mint in its facilities at Athens: Coin issue date: 21.09.2020:

The Bank of Greece has issued a Gold Collector Coin on 21.09.2020, which has been brought out under its on-going Coin Series titled - "Greek Mythology - the Olympian Gods", which highlights some of the most well-known stories.

The Gods and Goddesses tales which are almost 4,000 years old, have stood the test of time. The purpose of these myths provide the listener with a truth which the audience then interpreted for themselves within the value system of their culture.

The stories of the Greek myths attempt to answer the most difficult and most fundamental questions of human existence.

The latest coin features Hermes, who was the son of Zeus and the Pleiad Maia - daughter of Atlas.

About Hermes:

The Obverse and Reverse of the 100 Euros Gold Coin placed against a background image of the "Athenian Lekythos " (or "ancient Greek Vessel" used for storing olive oil) which is attributed to the 5th Century BC.

The two faces of the 100 Euros Gold Coin, depict Hermes on the Obverse and a design of the top of Hermes's staff - the entwined snakes,  on the Reverse with both heads pointed at each other.

He is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology.

He is considered to be the herald of the Gods. He is the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants and orators.

He is able to move quickly and freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine, aided by his winged sandals. 

Hermes plays the role of the "psychopomp" (or ""soul guide") who conducts souls in the afterlife.

In myth, Hermes functioned as the emissary and messenger of the gods. He is regarded as "the divine trickster" for which Homer has given the most popular account in his "Hymn to Hermes".

His attributes and symbols include the "Herma" (sculpture with a head and perhaps a torso), the Rooster, the Tortoise, satchel or pouch, "talaria: (winged sandals) and winged helmet, as well as, a palm tree, goat, the number four, several kinds of fish and incense.

However, his main symbol is the "Caduceus" (a winged staff inter-twined with two snakes fighting with each other and separated by Hermes and carvings of other gods.

In Roman mythology, Hermes was known as "Mercury", a name derived from the Latin "Merx" (meaning "merchandise") and the origin of the words "merchant" and "commerce".

Since the advent of the International Postal System, an image of Hermes has often been used to denote the function and speed of sending letters around the world.

The Commemorative Coin:

This Coin has been produced by the Hellenic Mint at its facilities in Athens on behalf of the Bank of Greece.

The Obverse of the 100 Euros Gold Coin depicts an image of Hermes shown on an "Athenian Lekythos " (or "ancient Greek Vessel" used for storing olive oil) which is attributed to the 5th Century BC.

The Lekythos is displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. In the depiction, Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods is shown moving swiftly on an errand for Zeus - the Ruler of the Gods.

Dressed in travelling clothes with a "Chlamys"(Short Cloak) and a "Petasos" (a "broad-brimmed hat"), he wears winged sandals and carries a herald's staff, a "Kerykeion", which ends in entwined snakes at its top.

The same symbol was later carried by Greek heralds as they travelled from place to place carrying their messages.

On the right periphery is the inscription - "Greek Mythology" (spelt in Greek) and to the left periphery is "Hermes" (spelt in Greek).

               

On the Reverse of the 100 Euros Gold Coin is a design which highlights the top of Hermes's staff, with the two entwined snakes with their heads pointed at each other.

In the middle is the denomination of the Gold Coin spelt in Greek - "100 EUROS" and on each side of the lower periphery are the words "Hellenic" (at left) and "Republic" (at right), both spelt in Greek.

 Along the border on both sides is an intricate design seen on ancient Greek architecture.

The specifications of this Gold Coin are:

Denomination: 100 Euros; Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Gold (Au); Weight: 3.89 grams; Diameter/Size: 17.5 mm; Coin Quality: Proof; Maximum Mintage: 1,200 pieces; Minted at/by: Hellenic State Mint at its facilities in Athens; Minted for: Bank of Greece; Designer: M. Antonatou.

Each Coin is encapsulated and presented in a matte-polished wooden custom case and is accompanied with a Certificate of Authenticity(COA).





Other interesting posts on Greek Coinage and Commemorative Coins:

 2) Some ancient coins depicting Greek mythology & history 



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2 comments:

  1. coins and more12 October 2020 at 16:35

    Vimal Dikshit has commented:
    "बहुत अच्छा ज्ञान देते हो पर याद नहीं रह पाता। भूल जाता हूं।‌ Short memory loss 😀😀"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. coins and more12 October 2020 at 16:36

      You can refer back anytime. Even I keep forgetting what I have written about, on many occasions. Sometimes the topic gets repeated too.😀

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