Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Perth Mint Issues Battle Of Hastings Silver Coin As 3rd In The "Famous Battles" Series

July 14, 2009: The increasingly popular Perth Mint silver coin series dedicated to famous battles throughout history got a new edition today in the form of the Battle of Hastings silver proof issue. Naturally, the coin is dedicated to the fierce battle that took place on October 14, 1066 between the Norman troops lead by William, Duke of Normandy, and the English army led by King Harold.


Tuvalu 2009 $1 Battle of Hastings Silver Proof


A pivotal moment in English history that changed the course of the kingdom forever, the battle of Hastings began when the Duke of Normandy and his troops landed near Hastings. Upon hearing this King Harold, fresh from battle victory against Norwegian Vikings at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, set off for Hastings in a bid to prove to his subjects that he could conquer any invader. Unfortunately, the English King's 7500 men were already weary from the recent battle and the trek from London to Hastings did nothing to improve that, while the 8400 Norman troops had arrived 2 days prior and were well rested when the conflict started.

The battle lasted for the better part of a day before the Norman troops managed to break through the English lines. During the battle, King Harold was famously killed, struck through the eye with an arrow. The English resistance was crushed and William claimed his place as the ruler of England.

Following a common style as previous coins in this series, the Battle of Hastings silver proof features the image of a Norman knight on horseback, together with a Norman helmet and Saxon axe, struck into the reverse side. Through the middle is an example of the Perth Mint's expert printing techniques, with a full-colour reproduction of the famous Bayeux Tapestry, which shows the slaying of King Harold during the battle. On the obverse is the Raphael Maklouf designed effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, together with the denomination, country and year of issue.

The coin has been struck from 31.13 grams (1 ounce) of 99.9% fine silver on a 40.60mm flan. Each coin is encapsulated and presented in an elegant, black, official Perth Mint jewel case with full-colour outer box similar in style to previous issues. Accompanying the coin is a numbered Certificate of Authenticity confirming the limited mintage of just 5000 silver coins issued worldwide, the same as all issues in the series.



You can order the Tuvalu 2009 $1 Battle of Hastings Silver Proof through the Euro Collections International website while stocks last. Previous issues in this series have generated huge demand amongst collectors and we recommend an early order to avoid disappointment.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

prices of Thermopylae and Cannae was $54 and Hastings $72 why ?

Euro Collections International said...

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The US$ price for these issues is based on the exchange rate for the A$. When the Cannae coin was released the exchange rate provided us a US price of $54, whereas the rate has changed since then and the price of the Hastings coin reflects that. We have now changed the price of the Cannae coin to match the current exchange rate and the Hastings coin. Thank you.