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Saturday 5 December 2020

1584) Karakorum, Mongolia: Commemorating the 800th Anniversary Milestone (1220-2020) of this legendary City with the issue of a 5000 Togrog Silver Coin, coordinated by the Coin Invest Trust (CIT) & minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt GmbH at its facilities in Munich: Year of Coin issue: 2020:

1584) Karakorum, Mongolia: Commemorating the 800th Anniversary Milestone (1220-2020) of this legendary  City with the issue of a 5000 Togrog Silver Coin, coordinated by the Coin Invest Trust (CIT) & minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt GmbH at its facilities in Munich: Year of Coin issue: 2020:

The Obverse of the 5,000 Togrog Silver Antique Finish Coin placed against the background of a mountainscape

The Reverse of the 5,000 Togrog Silver Antique Finish Coin, placed against the background image of a mountainscape

About Karakorum:

Karakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 AD and of the Northern Yuan in the 14 - 15th Centuries AD. The site of Karakorum appears to have been settled around 750 AD.

Its ruins lie in the Northwestern corner of Ovorkhangai Province of Mongolia, near present day town of Kharkhorin and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu Monastery, the earliest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia.

The ruins are a part of the Upper part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site -"Orkhon Valley".

The Orkhon Valley was a centre of the Xiongnu, Gokturk and Uyghur Empires.

In 1218-19 AD, Genghis Khan established his headquarters for a campaign against the Khwarezm Empire (invasion of China) in a place called Karakorum, but the actual foundation of the city took place only in 1220. 

The year 1220 AD is generally accepted as the year the foundations of the city were built. As such, the year 2020 marks the 800th Anniversary milestone of the famous city.

Until 1235 AD, Karakorum was a small town of nomads travelling in "yurts" but later got established as a bigger town during the time of Genghis Khan's successor - Ogedei Khan - who erected walls with four gates around the town and the "Tumen Angalan Ord" palace (meaning "Palace of Myriad Peace"). The rectangular palace was supported by 64 wooden columns standing on granite bases. 

Under Ogedei and his successors, Karakorum became a major centre for world politics.

Mongke Khan had the palace enlarged, and the Great Stupa temple was completed.

 A large "Silver Tree of Karakorum" was designed by Parisian goldsmith Guillaume Bouchier in the City Centre, sculpted of silver and other precious metals. The Tree rose from the middle of the courtyard and loomed over the palace, with the branches of the tree extended into the building. 

Silver fruit hung from the limbs and it had four golden serpents braided around the trunk. 

The top of the trunk had a mechanical trumpet angel, which would raise the horn to its lips and sound the horn, whereupon the mouths of the serpents would begin to gush out a fountain of alcoholic beverages into the large silver basins arranged at the base of the tree. 

Many brick buildings, 12 shamanistic shrines and two mosques were once a part of the city, which also was an early centre for sculpture, especially noteworthy for its great stone tortoises.

A stone tortoise sculpture in the City of Karakorum

In 1260 AD Kublai Khan shifted his capital from Karakorum to Shangdu and later to Khanbaliq (present day Beijing), heralding the decline of Karakorum from a city of importance.

By 1271 AD, Karakorum became a mere administrative centre of the Yuan dynasty. Civil war conflicts also affected the town's growth.

In 1298-99 AD, the city's markets and grain storehouses were looted.

During the 14th Century AD a second era of prosperity came to Karakorum City and the town grew exponentially.

In 1368 AD, the Yuan dynasty collapsed and Karakorum was once again developed.

Nevertheless, in the 16th Century, the town changed hands several times between various warring factions and was given up permanently.

In 1889 AD, the precise location of Karakorum was discovered by two Russian Orientalists working in the area.

In 1948-49 AD, the ruins were explored by members of the Academy of the USSR.

Excavations unearthed paved roads, some brick and many adobe buildings, floor heating systems, bed-stoves, evidence for processing of copper, gold, silver, iron (including iron wheel naves), glass, jewels, bones and birch bark, as well as, ceramics, and coins from China and Central Asia. In addition 4 brick kilns were also unearthed.

                                  An unearthed/excavated brick kiln

                        A reconstructed model of Karakorum City

The Commemorative Coin:

The Obverse of the 5,000 Togrog Silver Antique Finish Coin shows the courtyard in the "Tumen Angalan Ord" palace (meaning "Palace of Myriad Peace") with the Silver Tree. The Silver Angel on top of the tree is blowing its horn, signalling the flow of wine through the serpent's mouths into large silver basins. 

The gathered guests are seen collecting goblets of wine for drinking & making merry. 

The inscriptions are - "MONGOLIA 2 OZ .999 SILVER" (on the lower periphery). At right is the emblem of the Central Bank of Mongolia, below which is the denomination of the coin "5000 Torpor" ("5000 Togrog").

The Reverse of the 5,000 Togrog Silver Antique Finish Coin shows the entrance of the palace of Ogedei Khan with guests exiting the Palace.

The inscription on the lower half of the Coin is - "CITY OF KARAKORUM 1220-2020".

The numeral "800" on the upper periphery denotes the 800th year milestone of Karakorum City.

The specifications of this Silver Coin are:

Theme: Karakorum City/Town; Country of issue: Republic of Mongolia; Denomination: 5,000 Togrog; Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 2.0 Oz; Diameter/Size: 50.0 mm; Coin Quality: Antique Finish; Mintage: 800 pieces; Technique: Smartminting, High Relief; Minted by: B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt GmbH at their facilities in Munich; Coordinated By: Coin Invest Trust (CIT); Year of issue: 2020.

The elegant Presentation Case in which the Silver Antique Finish Coin is housed.










Other links to some interesting posts on Coins brought out by Coin Invest Trust on behalf of other countries:










The 7-Summits Silver Coin Series:


For interesting posts on Mongolian Coins and Banknotes, please visit the following links:


7) Peter Carl Faberge: 100th Anniversary of his passing away (1920-2020): Coin invest Trust (CIT) has issued a commemorative silver coin of 1000 Togrog on behalf of the Republic of Mongolia, featuring Faberge's "Apple Blossom Egg", the biggest and most well known of his creations: Coin issue date/Year: 2020 

8) Mahatma Gandhi, Mongolia: Coin Series Theme - "Revolutionaries": Gold & Silver 1000 Togrog Coins minted by Coin Invest Trust (CIT) on behalf of the Bank of Mongolia: Year of issue: 2020

9) "Bees", Mongolia: First Coin in the "Clockwork Evolution Coin Series":  3.0 Oz, 2,000 Togrog Silver Coin coordinated by the Coin Invest Trust (CIT) and minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt GmbH, at their facilities in Munich: Year of Coin issue: 2020


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