Description
This $10 fine gold coin marks the 100th anniversary of the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century – the tomb of King Tut. Struck in one gram of pure gold, the design depicts the fine detail of the golden mask found on the ancient Egyptian king. Mintage limited to just 999 pieces. Issued by Solomon Islands. HST/GST exempt.
The Design:
The coin is a near perfect miniature of the original Mask of Tutankhamun, including full shape relief and details such as the mask’s famous beard as well as the royal insignia atop the headpiece that features a cobra and a vulture.
Tutankhamun:
For more than 3,000 years, Egyptian Pharoah Tutankhamun lay undisturbed until on a late November day in 1922 when British archaeologist Howard Carter and his sponsor Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb of the “Boy Pharaoh.” There they discovered the tomb miraculously intact. The Egyptologists found thousands of artifacts, the most splendid of which was a stone sarcophagus containing three coffins nested within each other. Inside the final coffin, which was made out of solid gold, was Tutankhamun’s mummy upon which rested a magnificent life-size gold mask of “King Tut” himself. Today, the Mask of Tutankhamun is one of the world’s most recognizable works of art and arguably the most prominent symbol of ancient Egypt.
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