Tutankhamun’s Pyramid Coined?
The Isle of Man Mint has released another batch of Tutankhamun coins.
Last December the mint produced the world’s first triangular, or ‘pyramid’ shaped coin to mark the new Tutankamun exhibition in London’s O2 arena. Intended as a gift and sold for for 15 pounds, it is also legal tender in the Isle of Man having a value of 25p.
The above images are from ‘Isle of Man Today’ website:
“One side of the 57mm wide by 40mm high, copper coin shows Tutankhamun, the teenage pharaoh who died 3,330 years ago, and the other features a portrait of the Queen.
The coin is expected to form part of a series, which will depict the most wondrous artefacts unearthed in the young pharaoh’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings by English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922, whose great nephew is a well known resident of the Island.”
The commemorative coin’s shape is described on the www.govmint.com website:
“There is no more powerful symbol of Ancient Egypt and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs than the Pyramid. These massive and mysterious monuments were built as the final resting places for a number of the most wealthy and influential Pharaohs of the ancient world - including the most famous of them all, King Tut. This the world’s first coin struck in a pyramid shape, and its beautiful 24 karat fine gold surface perfectly captures the allure and power of Tutankhamun’s Golden Treasure.”
Unfortunately this Mint is unaware that Tutankhamun didn’t have a pyramid, instead he was buried in the Valley of the Kings far away from the pyramids in both time and space.
The new series of coins are described on the Pobjoy website:
“The Gold Throne (1/5oz Gold Pyramid)
The chair in Ancient Egypt was a symbol of authority and prestige and buried beneath Tutankhamun’s hippopotamus couch in the Antechamber to his tomb, Howard Carter discovered the most dazzling Gold Throne depicting an image of the boy king and his queen. This pyramid-shaped coin reveals that very scene in which the queen appears anointing her young husband with perfume.
Tutankhamun’s miniature coffin (Silver Pyramid)
Four miniature coffins fashioned of gold and inlaid with semi-precious stones and coloured glass hold the internal organs which were removed from Tutankhamun’s body during mummification. These four Coffinettes accommodate his lungs, liver, stomach and intestines. This pyramid-shaped coin depicts one of boy king’s Miniature Coffins, which is on display at the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition and the cartouches on either side spell the throne and birth name of the young pharaoh.
The Scarab (1/25oz Gold Round)
The dung-beetle enjoyed a sacred status among the Ancient Egyptians who associated the Scarab with both creation and good luck. Egyptologists translate the hieroglyphic image of the beetle as “to come into being”, which describes how the scarab naturally emerges from balls of dung.
One of the most stunning pieces of jewellery unearthed from Tutankhamun’s tomb is a pectoral depicting the Scarab, which is the design that appears on this coin. The symbols that make up the Scarab design spell out Tutankhamun’s throne name Nebkheperure, which translates as “Lord of the Forms of Re.”
The symbols consist of a basket neb meaning “lord” (the segment shape at the bottom), a scarab kheperu meaning “being” or “form” (in the middle) and the sun re representing the god Re (at the top).
Tutankhamun 4 Coin Silver Set
The complete set of Four beautiful Sterling Silver coins highlight some of the most famous artifacts unearthed by Howard Carter in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The set consists of two pyramid-shaped coins and two round coins. The pyramid-shaped coins depict the young pharaoh’s Miniature Coffin which contains his internal organs and an image from the Gold Throne discovered beneath the hippopotamus couch in the Antechamber to Tutankhamun’s tomb and the round coins depict the Scarab which the Ancient Egyptians associated with creation and good luck and the Eye of Horus which became an important symbol of power and protection.
The Scarab coin is the World’s First Coin to have a Carnelian stone set into the design and the Eye of Horus coin balances this beautifully with the Lapis Lazuli stone set into the centre of the “Eye.”
(would we need to mention the pyramid box that the coins come presented in?)
Tutankhamun 3 Coin Gold Set “containing World’s First Death Mask Coin
The Three Coin Gold Set is the ultimate collector’s item and contains three magnificent Tutankhamun themed coins. To start with there is a 1/25oz Gold coin depicting the Scarab, which the Egyptians associated with creation and good-luck. There is also a 1/5oz Gold pyramid-shaped coin which shows an image of the boy king being anointed with perfume by his queen this image is taken from the back of the Gold Throne that was discovered beneath Tutankhamun’s hippopotamus couch in his tomb. But, the highlight of this set is the third coin, which is a 1/2oz Gold and the World’s First Death Mask shaped coin. The spectacular funerary mask of Tutankhamun is undoubtedly the most renowned of all the artifacts recovered from the young pharaoh’s tomb and makes a truly unique coin.”
More Images:
Isle of Man Government website
Pobjoy website
Tags: coins, tutankhamun
wats the pyramid wat tutankharmun was buried in
Hi George, Tutankhamun didn’t actually have a pyramid. He lived in a time when pyramids were no longer built to house the dead pharaoh. Instead he was buried in a long shaft dug into the ground in the Valley of the Kings.