In 2022, Monnaie de Paris in association with the Louvre museum will propose an exclusive collection combining their know-how.
Symbol of French excellence, these two neighboring age-old institutions, located on either bank of the Seine, belong to French history.
In order to celebrate both the 200th anniversary of the deciphering of hieroglyphs and the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, Monnaie de Paris has partnered with the Louvre museum to offer an exceptional collection on the theme of the Treasures of Egypt.
This rare 1 kg gold coin celebrates an exceptional alliance.
Entirely engraved by hand, it pays tribute to the museum’s astounding collections of Egyptian antiquities. Joaquin Jimenez, the General Engraver of Monnaie de Paris, was inspired by this year’s dual anniversary for Egyptology, namely the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the 200th anniversary of the deciphering of hieroglyphs. He also drew his inspiration from all the masterpieces of the Louvre’s department of Egyptian antiquities.
Thanks to the blazing treasures of Egypt, their intrinsic value and the mystery that enshrouds them, he has imagined a coin whose design and engraving transport to an Egypt of endless imagination.
With only 14 copies minted, the 1 kg gold coin unveils on the obverse the great sphinx of Tanis, in front of the representations of the Moon God Khonsu and the Divine Worshipper Shepenupet. The sphinx, sculpted in the time of the Old Kingdom, is magnified by a certain volume of engraving while the background is done as a line drawing.
On the reverse, the God Amun, the main deity of the Egyptian pantheon, was chosen as the central axis to protect the young Tutankhamun. This statue does not originate from the pharaoh’s tomb but from one of Amun’s temples, probably in Karnak. The deity is surrounded by hieroglyphs from the gold encrusted bronze case that once belonged to Divine worshipper Shepenupet, on which the protective blue “grand feu” enamel Eye of Horus is affixed. The pyramid, a timeless link between yesterdays and today’s heritage, adorns the bottom and proudly displays the cartouches of Tutankhamun.
The face value is present in the centre of the coin as well as the mention RF. The reverse side bears the mintmark of Joaquin Jimenez.
