2916) 70 Years since first ascent of Mount Everest, Cook Islands: $100 and $10 Silver Coins minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt GmbH at their facilities in Munich, coordinated by Coin Invest Trust (CIT) commemorate the milestone: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2023:
The Obverse and Reverse of the Silver Coin presented against a statue of Edmund Hillary against a backdrop of Mount Everest.
The Treasury of the Cook Islands, in coordination with Coin Invest Trust (CIT), has released two collector coins which commemorate one of the most celebrated events to have taken place during the 20th century.
On the 29.05.1953, New Zealand-born Edmund Hillary and the Nepalese Indian Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest at 11:30 a.m. local time. The two men involved were Edmund Hillary (1919–2008) and his Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay (1914–1986).
The international media celebrated the first ascent of the world’s highest mountain as the third pole’s conquest (after the north and south poles).
Prior to this ultimate success in 1953, many recorded attempts were made to reach the summit of Everest dating back to as early as 1921.
But it was only on this day that someone had actually succeeded in achieving this mammoth challenge by reaching the very top of Mount Everest — often referred to as “the rooftop of the world.”
Sherpa guides are commonly known for not only their physical strength but their ability to endure the extreme altitudes. They have played a major part in Himalayan exploration and mountaineering over the years, and attempting to make the climb without one was unheard of.
When making their final ascent to the summit, Hillary and Norgay had got caught up in a storm that forced them to stop and spend the night at over 27,000 feet. But the following day, the two men were able to continue climbing where they would eventually reach the summit on the 29th May.
70 years ago, news did not travel quite as fast as it does in a world where today, the news is literally seen and heard live as events occur.
It wasn’t until the 1st June before word got back to London about the two men successfully reaching the top of Mount Everest.
This extraordinary news could not have come at a greater moment. During his life, Edmund was honoured in New Zealand when in 1992, his likeness, along with a background of New Zealand’s Mount Cook, was included on the front side of $5 banknotes. The design is still in use. He was also knoghted by the British Queen Elizabeth II, while Tenzing Norgay was awarded a British honour - Order of the British Empire - as well.
The Commemorative Coins:
The coins have been commissioned by Coin Invest Trust (CIT) of Vaduz, Liechtenstein, and minted by the B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt at their facilities in Munich on behalf of the treasury of the Cook Islands.
Shown on the Reverse of both the two-ounce and one-kilo $100 and $10 Silver Coins is depicted Mount Everest from a bird’s eye view, its peaks in high relief and with subtle, delicate colour application.
A dotted line marks the route of the first ascent followed by Hillary and Norgay, which also reaches the text - "MT. EVEREST 1953 FIRST ASCENT" at the top half.
The smartminting technology and ultra-high relief strikes offer greater depth and detail to the surface of the peaks and chasms not seen previously on a coin.
Shown on the Obverse of both the two-ounce and one-kilo $100 & $10 Silver Coins are images of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in full backpacks making their way onward and upward towards Mount Everest as it is seen rising up in front of them.
Shown just to the left is a coin Obverse in miniature which includes an effigy of her late Queen Elizabeth II facing right designed by Ian Rank-Broadley along with the inscription - "ELIZABETH II COOK ISLANDS".
Above the Queen’s likeness is the coins’ denomination shown in dollars, and below, the year of release, 2023. On the edges of both the $100 and $10 denomination is an inscription shown in micro-text which reads:
"ON 29 MAY 1953, NEW ZEALAND-BORN HILLARY AND HIS NEPALESE MOUNTAINEERING PARTNER TENZING NORGAY, BECAME THE FIRST HUMANS TO STAND ON THE SUMMIT OF EVEREST. AS MEMBERS OF THE 1953 MOUNT EVEREST EXPEDITION, THEIR TRIUMPH WAS THE GLORIOUS RESULT OF A LONG, COMPLEX AND BRILLIANTLY CO-ORDINATED CAMPAIGN."
The specifications of the $100 (One Hundred Dollars) & $10 (Ten Dollars) Silver Coins are:
Country of issue: Cook Islands; Date/Year of Coin issue: 2023; Coin Theme: "First Ascent of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay"; Denomination/Face Value: $100 (One Hundred Dollars & $10 (Ten Dollars); Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 62.2 grams or 2.00 Oz (for the $10 Coin) + 1,000 grams or 1.00 Kg (for $100 Coins); Diameter/Size: 45.00 mm (for the $10 Coin) + 100.00 mm (for the $100 Coin); Coin Quality: Proof (P) + Applied Colour; Technique: SmartMinting; Mint: Coins minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt GmbH at their facilities in Munich, coordinated by Coin Invest Trust (CIT); Mintage: 1,953 pieces (for the $10 Coin) and 99 pieces (for the $100 Coins); Presentation: Designer Box (200 mm x 200.00 mm x 60.00 mm).
- The Silver Proof versions are presented in a custom window-effect box for ease of viewing or display and are accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
3) The Mystical Ancient Egyptian Labyrinth depicted on $10 Silver coins issued by Cook islands in 2016, under its "Milestones of Mankind Series".
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