2103) The Matterhorn, (The) Cook Islands: Two Coins - 5 Dollars (Gold) and 10 Dollars (Silver) which capture the majesty of one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe: Coins minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt GmbH at their facilities in Munich: Project Coordinated by Coin Invest Trust (CIT): Year of Coin issue: 2021:
The Banner/Header showing the Matterhorn $10 (Ten Dollars) Silver Coin presented against the top of the Mountain
This image presents the Reverse of the $10 (Ten Dollars) Coin against a background image of the snow-covered Matterhorn Mountain
The Reverse of the Gold $5 (Five Dollars) Coin presented against a Matterhorn mountain section showing its treacherous rocky structure
About The Matterhorn Mountain:
The Matterhorn is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy.
It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, whose summit is 4,478 metres (14,692 ft) high, making it one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe.
The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points and are split by the Hörnli, Furggen, Leone/Lion, and Zmutt ridges. The mountain overlooks the Swiss town of Zermatt, in the canton of Valais, to the north-east and the Italian town of Breuil-Cervinia in the Aosta Valley to the south. Just east of the Matterhorn is Theodul Pass, the main passage between the two valleys on its north and south sides, which has been a trade route since the Roman Era.
The Matterhorn remained unclimbed/unconquered after most of the other great Alpine peaks had been attained and became the subject of an international competition for the summit.
The first ascent of the Matterhorn was in 1865 from Zermatt by a seven member party led by Edward Whymper; it ended when four of its seven members fell to their deaths on the descent.
Precisely at that moment , an Italian team was approximatively 400 meters below Whymper's mountaineers, still dealing with the most difficult parts of the Italian ridge. When seeing their rivals on the summit they gave up on their attempt and went back home. 4 of the 6 Whymper’s team members lost their lives on the descent. All but one (whose body was never found) are buried in the Zermatt churchyard.
Whymper noted down:
“At 1.40 p.m. the world was at our feet, and the Matterhorn was conquered. Hurrah! Not a footstep could be seen.”
This event, later portrayed in several films, marked the end of the Golden Age of Alpinism.
The North face was not climbed until 1931 and is among the three biggest north faces of the Alps, known as "The Trilogy".
The West face, which is the highest of the Matterhorn's four faces, was completely climbed only in 1962.
The Mountain material composition:
The Matterhorn is mainly composed of gneisses (originally fragments of the African Plate before the Alpine orogeny) from the Dent Blanche nappe, lying over ophiolites and sedimentary rocks of the Penninic nappes.
The mountain's current shape is the result of cirque erosion due to multiple glaciers diverging from the peak, such as the Matterhorn Glacier at the base of the north face. Sometimes referred to as the "Mountain of Mountains" (German: "Berg der Berge"), the Matterhorn has become an iconic emblem of the Alps in general.
Present Day:
Since the end of the 19th century, when railways were built in the area, the mountain has attracted increasing numbers of visitors and climbers.
Each year, numerous mountaineers try to climb the Matterhorn from the Hörnli Hut via the northeast Hörnli ridge, the most popular route to the summit. Many trekkers also undertake the 10-day-long circuit around the mountain.
The Matterhorn has been part of the Swiss Federal Inventory of Natural Monuments since 1983.
The Matterhorn is certainly one of the most famous mountains in the world. With its nearly perfect symmetrical pyramidal peak, it defines what many consider a true mountain.
It is both awe-inspiring and intimidating to even the most skilled mountaineers and has taken the lives of well over 500 climbers making it also one of the deadliest mountains to climb.
In more recent times, the Matterhorn was made popular by the projections of country flags to show support and unity during the Chinese Wuhan Virus (COVID-19) Pandemic.
The Coins:
These two coins have been struck by Coin Invest Trust (CIT), which capture the majesty and awe that the Matterhorn gives.
Through a combination of selective coloring and smartminting® ultra-high relief, the 2 oz silver coin captures the impressive mountain in all of its snow-covered details. One can almost hear the winds howling around its massive structure.
The Reverse of the $10 (10 Dollars) Silver Proof Coin shows a steep face of the Matterhorn.
This face of the Coin is titled -"MATTER-HORN". Below the inscription is featured an ice-pick with the numerals - "4.478 m".
The Obverse of the $10 (Ten Dollars) Silver Proof Coin shows an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, whose initials "IRB" appear below the Queen's neck.
The peripheral Inscriptions are - "ELIZABETH II. 10 DOLLARS. COOK ISLANDS. 2022".
The Reverse of the $5 (Five Dollars) Gold Proof Coin shows the ice-pick and height of the Matterhorn Mountain at top left and the name "MATTERHORN" at bottom centre right.
The Obverse of the $5 (Five Dollars) Gold Proof Coin is identical to the Obverse of the Silver Coin.
The specifications of the two Variants are:
i) The specifications of the Silver Coin Variant are:
Country of issue: (The) Cook Islands; Year: 2022; Denomination/Face Value: $10 (Ten Dollars); Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 2.0 Oz or 62.2 grams; Diameter/Size: 38.61 mm; Coin Quality: Proof; Mintage: 999 pieces; Special Technique: Smartminting® (Ultra High Relief); Presentation Box/Case: Yes; Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Yes.
i) The specifications of the Gold Coin Variant are:
Country of issue: (The) Cook Islands; Year: 2022; Denomination/Face Value: $5 (Five Dollars); Metal Composition: .9999 Fineness Gold (Au); Weight: 0.50 grams; Diameter/Size: 11.00 mm; Coin Quality: Proof; Mintage: 5,000 pieces; Special Technique: Smartminting® (Ultra High Relief); Presentation Box/Case: Yes; Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Yes.
Links to other posts on Metropolis Tiffany Art Coin Series:
The 7-Summits Silver Coin Series:
5) Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), Niue: First Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series" minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue: Date of Coin issue: 01/2020
6) Nikola Tesla, Niue: Second Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series" minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue : Date of Coin issue: 03/2020
7) Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Niue: Third Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series", minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue: Date of Coin issue: 07/2020
Links to interesting posts from the South Pacific Island of Fiji:
Links to posts on Australia, New Zealand and Countries and Overseas Territories of the South Pacific etc on this Blog:
3) The Mystical Ancient Egyptian Labyrinth depicted on $10 Silver coins issued by Cook islands in 2016, under its "Milestones of Mankind Series".
7) Michelangelo's "Pieta", Vatican City: New Copper Coin Series titled "Art and Faithy": A 10 Euro Copper Coin minted by the "Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato" (IPZS) on behalf of the "Ufficio Filatelico e Numismatico Governatorato della Cotta del Vaticano": Coin issue date: 05.03.2020
8) Ancient Postal Routes, Vatican City State: EUROPA 2020 Theme: Two stamps of 1.10 Euro and 1.15 Euro issued by the Ufficio filatelico e Numismatico -Governatorato, Vaticano featuring Ancient Postal Routes emanating from the Vatican City State during the 6th & 11th Centuries AD
Rajan Trikha has commented:
ReplyDelete"Loved the descriptive write-up."
Thank you, Trikha sahab.
DeleteRsanker Sharma has commented:
ReplyDelete"Great post."
Thank you, Sharma sahab.
DeleteVikram Bhatnagar has commented:
ReplyDelete"Hair raising description! 👌"
I felt like I was attempting the climb myself with the mountaineers. This is the first time I have heard of this mountain. 😊
DeleteVikram Bhatnagar has further commented:
ReplyDelete"This Mountain was the prime reason as to why Switzerland was a safe haven and, not easily accessible from the North (read invading German armies), during the WW's, apart from, of course, the expertise of Swiss Banks at safe keeping of money irrespective of their source!
It also gave me a tough time driving through its roads when I was entering from France! The coffee at one small village after encountering a snow and hail storm in the hilly roads was divine!"
Thanks for sharing this experience, Vikram.
DeleteSantosh Khanna has commented:
ReplyDelete"Great post! Thanks for sharing this interesting post."
Thank you so much, Khanna sahab.
DeleteShishir Misra has commented:
ReplyDelete"Congratulations for continued research work.Besides geopolitical; historical perspective your hobby has enriched your perspective on Economic issues.
Of course this must have enlightened many including me.
My best wishes, regards and Diwali Greetings for both of you."
Thank you so much for your kind words sir.
DeleteVimal Dikshit has commented:
ReplyDelete"अच्छी रुचिकर जानकारी 👌👌"
Thank you so much, Vimal.
DeleteRsanker Sharma has commented:
ReplyDelete"Very nice and informative. Great post."
Thank you so much, Sharma sahab.
Delete