2018-08-23 Thu

Pobjoy Mint released a new £4 Antique Finish 2-ounce .999 fine silver coin in its five-coin series named Mythical Creatures for British Indian Ocean Territory. The coin depicts Hydra from the 12 Labors of Hercules myth and is antique finished by hand.

The ancient myths teach us values such as love, courage, strength. They also show us the drawbacks of feelings such as jealousy, greed, treachery and more. Centaur and Medusa will be featured on the next two coins in this series. The coin depicts Hercules fighting the Hydra and a crab attacking Hercules.

Hercules went through 12 years of penance to complete the Twelve Labours of Hercules. Lernean Hydra was a huge serpent with nine-heads that attacked locals using its poisonous venom. The second Labour of Hercules was to kill Hydra. One of Hydra’s nine heads was immortal, making it almost impossible for Hercules to win the battle. Things worsened as a huge crab was also assisting Hydra.

Hercules first destroyed the eight mortal heads and sealed the necks so that new heads do not grow and replace the old ones. Finally, the ninth head was cut, buried and covered with a heavy rock by Hercules.

The 62.21 grams coin has a diameter of 50 mm and a mintage limit of 650 pieces. The capsulated coins come in a custom-made acrylic box with a certificate of authenticity and can be purchased for $169 each.

Image Courtesy: The Pobjoy Mint