2oz Silver Coin Gods of Olympus - Poseidon

Today's coin unboxing #3, featuring the 2oz silver Gods of Olympus - Poseidon rimless high relief coin struck by the Perth Mint Australia. This is the second coin in the Gods of Olympus series. The coin is issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Tivalu with a denomination of two dollars. This coin has an extremely limited mintage of just 1,500 coin sets.

As this coin was extremely popular when released, I missed out on getting this coin via the Perth Mint website. I was gutted as I already had the Zeus coin which is the first coin in the series. I thought I would try the local Australia Post Shop, unfortunately they too did not have the coin, however a very helpful lady said that she would phone some of the other stores to see if they had any available. After a couple weeks of not hearing anything, I began to lose hope, then suddenly my phone rang, it was the helpful lady the phone, she had the coin. I rushed down to the shop as quick as I could to pick it up, I was a very happy man.

The issue price of this coin on the Perth Mint website was AUD$179.00. Currently on eBay there are a number of listings for this coin, the prices range on eBay from AUD$299 - AUD$699.00. There is a recent 'sold listings' for this coin from November 2017 where it sold for AUD$379.00.

Coin Details:

Mint/Brand:	The Perth Mint Australia
Silver Content:	2 Troy Ounce
Purity:	.999 Silver
Denomination:	$2 (Tuvalu)
Weight:	62.27g
Diameter:	40.50mm
Thickness:	6.00mm
Mintage:	1,500
Designer:	Thomas Vaughan
Coin Number:	0795

The Box

The outer box is black with silver imagery and writing. The images depict the three Gods of Olympus in the Perth Mint coin series, the gods are Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. The words 'GODS OF OLYMPUS' and 'POSEIDON' appear on the top of the box, the words '2oz SILVER COIN' appears on the side of the box.

Coin Certificate

Who is Poseidon?

The accompanying coin certificate reads:

In ancient Greek mythology, Poseidon was worshipped as the God of the Sea. He was adept at gathering clouds and creating violent storms, and responsible for shipwrecks and the drowning of many souls, yet he also held the power to grant a ship a successful voyage, and to save those in danger. He is also often referred to as the 'earth-shaker' dues to his penchant for causing earthquakes.


Historically, Poseidon was always portrayed as a mature man with a fully-grown beard, and equipped with his best known weapon, the trident, which he used to shake the earth, shatter rocks and create storms causing devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. His other symbols include a bull, dolphins, horses and fish.


Poseidon was one of six children and the second of three brothers, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, born to Rhea and Cronus, the ruler of the Titans. Having overthrown their father, the three brothers divided the universe between them. Zeus took control of the heavens, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld.


After being given the sea to rule over, Poseidon built for himself a spectacular underwater palace on the ocean floor made from coral and gems. He was often depicted riding atop the ocean waves, sometimes on his chariot pulled by sea-horses known as hippocampi.


Although he was married to the nymph and ancient sea-goddess, Amphitrite, Poseidon sired children with many different women, some of which were born as half-breeds including the famous cyclops Polyphemus, the winged horse Pegasus, and his merman son Triton.

Display Case

The rimless, high relief silver coin is housed in a round wooden display case, with detailed illustrations of the three gods seated in their thrones on the lid.

Inside the round display case, the words 'The Perth Mint Australia' appear next to the swan logo in silver. The antique finish 2oz coin is positioned in the centre of the round display case and is bordered by a circular pattern in silver.

Design

Reverse of Coin

The reverse of the coin depicts a bearded Poseidon riding the waves on his chariot pulled by two hippocampi, clutching his trident, with dolphins porpoising in the background. The design includes the inscription POSEIDON and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark.

Obverse of Coin

The obverse of the coin portrays the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Tuvalu 2 Dollars and the year 2014.