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First Issue
Palau Eternal Sculptures II
2022 - Moses
Moses is a Silver coin with a diameter of 50 mm and a weight of 3 Oz. On both the reverse and obverse, the coin boasts Smartminting Ultra-High Relief, and the quality is Black Proof.
The obverse features a representation of Moses, a stunning sculpture by Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti. The original statue, which is about 8 feet tall, is housed in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome. Only the top half of the sculpture is depicted in order to emphasize Moses' look and strained muscle.
Moses has massive muscular arms and an enraged, furious expression on his face. Moses' torso is dragged to the left, while his face is moved to the right, creating the impression that he is about to rise in rage.
I am sure that now you are wondering why Moses was so enraged. Here is the reason: Michelangelo decided to depict the moment when Moses returns from Mount Sinai with the Table of the Commandments and finds that the Israelites have constructed a golden calf to worship. He discovers that they were worshiping a pagan idol.
The sculpture has a fantastic metallic marble effect and some darker areas, such as the Tablets of the Commandments and parts of Moses' beard and arm, which are partially colored. The outer rim presents a frame with a typical Renaissance motif from which Moses appears to be coming out.
As you can see, Moses is portrayed with horns. This is due to a mistranslation of a Hebrew word that portrayed Moses as having light rays emanating from his head.
Let's have a look at the inscriptions on the obverse: "MMXXII", the year of issue in Roman numerals, is at the bottom. On the right: the name of the series, "ETERNAL SCULPTURES II", with the new logo, a miniature of David, and, below, the name of the coin, "MOSES".
The reverse of the coin depicts Moses' hand holding his beard, which is a detail from the sculpture. Smartminting technology has given the beard, muscles and veins a remarkably realistic appearance.
When the coin is tilted, it is easy to observe how high the Relief is. As for the reverse, the statue on the obverse has a metallic marble effect with darker areas partially colored, the background is Black Proof. The coin is Palau’s legal tender, the Coat of Arms is on the left and, below, there is an inscription with the face value: “20$”.
Palau
Palau is an archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean. Koror Island is home to the former capital, also named Koror, and is the islands’ commercial center. The larger Babeldaob has the present capital, Ngerulmud, plus mountains and sandy beaches on its east coast. In its north, ancient basalt monoliths known as Badrulchau lie in grassy fields surrounded by palm trees. ― Google
Capital: Ngerulmud
Official languages: Palauan, English
Continent: Oceania
Government: Republic, Unitary state, Representative democracy, Presidential system, Non-partisan democracy
Currency: United States Dollar
Population: 18,024 (2021) World Bank
Number of islands: 340 britannica.com
Photos taken with Nikon D3300 DSL Camera with attached AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6G lens. Adobe Photoshop Elements used to fix any digital artifacts.