The Cook Islands, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar circulates in parallel with the local Cook Islands Dollar; at the same time, the government also authorises many legal tender coins in the Cook Islands Dollar currency for collector's purposes. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes, including one ounce of silver - such as this coin.
The Mint says about this coin: The Vitruvian Man is a drawing made by Leonardo da Vinci in 1490 accompanied by notes based on the work of the Roman architect Vitruvius. The drawing depicts a man in two superimposed positions with his arms and legs apart and inscribed in a circle and square. It represents da Vinci's concept of the ideal human body proportions and is kept in the Galleria dell'Accademia, in Venice, Italy.
Let’s talk about a much more modern invention done by Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895 - the X-rays. He discovered their medical use when he made a picture of his wife's hand on a photographic plate formed with X-rays. The photograph of his wife's hand was the first photograph of a human body part using X-rays.
Both works have advanced the understanding of the human body by leaps and bounds. CIT now takes this historic artwork of da Vinci and combines it with the essential modern invention of Röntgen. The result is a 1 oz silver Proof mixing both ages in one coin! This shocking looking coin combines some of the best of minting technology and colourisation to create a one-of-a-kind piece. Discover the Vitruvian Man in ultra high relief surrounded by historical sketches and notes on the reverse and his colourised X-ray image on the obverse. |