2020-06-16 Tue

CIT released a 1000 Togrog Silver and gold coins for Mongolia to honour one of the great German theorist of communism, Karl Marx. The 1 oz .999 silver Proof coin with Partial Colour Application has a diameter of 38.61 millimetres and a mintage limit of 1,000 pieces. The 0.5 grams .9999 Gold Proof coin has a diameter of 13.92 millimetres and a mintage limit of 5,000 pieces. Both coins are struck at B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprageanstalt, Munich.

The obverse side features the emblem of the Central Bank of Mongolia, denomination 1000 Togrog in Cyrillic lettering, country name MONGOLIA in Latin lettering. The weight and fineness of metal are also mentioned. The reverse side features a portrait of Karl Marx, words KARL MARX in Latin and Mongolian lettering, and year date 2019. The coin belongs to a special series by CIT called “Iconic Revolutionaries”. The first three coins in the series were dedicated to Chinggis Khaan, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.

The portrait on the coin is based on a photograph by John Mayall, Jr that was taken in 1875. They were created by Mayall’s photography studio, which was also the first commercially successful photography business to capture portraits of the upper class of Britain at 10 establishments. These posters were sold in sets of 12 for one pound and one shilling.

Smartminting technology and sparse selective black colouring are applied on the coin to recreate the look of old daguerreotypes that used to be made at Mayall’s studio. The portrait is extremely detailed and is rendered in high relief.

Image Courtesy: CIT