Cook Islands ‘Red Dawn’ Named ‘Best Crown’ Dated 2017 COTY
The Cook Islands won the “Best Crown Coin” Category at the 2019 Krause Coin of the Year Awards (COTY) ceremony in Berlin. The silver 5 Dollar Red Dawn coin, dated 2017, is part of the Scarab Collection, which celebrates the scarab of ancient Egypt.
Millions of scarab amulets, rings and sculptures were produced by Egyptians between 2,300 B.C.E. and 400 C.E. As described by Lichtenstein’s Coin Invest Trust (CIT):
The mythical designs of the coins date back thousands of years. Scarab beetles have variously symbolized good fortune, life and rebirth, they were worn as protective amulets or presented as charms and religious gifts.
All of the coins in the Scarab were struck in ultra-high relief with CIT’s smartminting© technology, which allows the beetles to be depicted in stunning detail. The reverse of the Red Dawn coin features a black-rhodium plated ancient Egyptian scarab on a rose-gold canvas holding up the rising sun in the shape of a SWAROVSKI® crystal. It is inscribed with “RED DAWN.”
A scrolling floral design covers the obverse. It also includes Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The inscriptions on the obverse include the following: “ELIZABETH II” – the name of the Queen, “5 DOLLARS” – the face value, “COOK ISLANDS” – the issue country and “2017” – the issue year.
The award-winning Red Dawn coin weighs one ounce and measures 38.61 mm in diameter. The coin is sold in a set of three, with a mintage of the sets limited to 499. The other coins in the set include “Black Kingdom,” in which the gilded scarab is displayed on a black-rhodium proof surface and “Desert Heat,” in which both the scarab and field are gilded.
Four of the 2017 dated coins that won category awards had mintages of 1,000 and below. This one, France’s “Guy Savoy” five-ounce silver coin, and Palau’s “Venus” had mintages of 500 coins.