Beautiful Coins with Religious Images

The coins in all three series, and I use the term series loosely for the PAMP coins, are silver coins, and all are commemorative coins for a small island nation.  Two series are struck in fine silver, the other in Sterling silver.  Commemorative coins are an income source for many small nations, and some of the designs are vastly different from what we normally call coins.  And, as incredible works of art, they bring in a nice price. 

The PAMP Religious Art Coinage, Orthodox Shrine Coin Series

The Religious Art coins from PAMP are coins of Niue, a small island nation.  Niue has been prolific in its coin variety, making a nice income from commemorative coins.  PAMP is a well known company in Switzerland that specializes in high quality precious metal products.  PAMP has an unusually high reputation for high quality.

The 2012 coin depicting Da Vinci’s Last Supper comes in two sizes, the one Troy ounce and the five Troy ounce sizes of fine silver.  These coins are beautifully colorized, and can be displayed as religious art.  There is no indication on the reverse of the coin, the side with the depiction of Da Vinci’s Last Supper, that the piece of art is a coin.  It is completely covered with the image of the Last Supper.  The smaller coin carries a two dollar denomination, while the larger coin carries a ten dollar denomination.  The coins are identified as part of the Orthodox Shrines series.

The market has been flooded with 2013 coins using a similar image, but close inspection indicates the brightness around Jesus’ head, as well as the heads of the Apostles, is not there as it is on the 2012 coins.  Also, the price is much lower.  Having read the descriptions of several of the 2013 pieces it is apparent the coins, if they are coins, are only plated with silver.  Another concern is the number of these “coins” coming out of China where counterfeiting foreign coins is allowed.  I am not confident in the authenticity of the 2013 lower priced coins, nor can I prove that they are not.  I can say the coloration change and the source of so many makes them suspect.

A different version of da Vinci’s Last Supper is available in an uncolored medallion, which has no monetary denomination on it, and is being sold as a silver plated coin.  The fact there is no monetary value associated with it indicated this alternate version is not a coin.

The four Evangelists, Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, Saint Luke, and Saint John are shown in a four coin set, which is also part of the Orthodox Shrines Coin Series.  These coins are dated 2011, and are coins of the island nation Niue with a two dollar denomination each.  The mintage of these sets is two thousand, and it is unlikely the coins will be found separately.  These are one Troy ounce fine silver coins and are beautifully colorized on one side, the reverse.  These coins come in a nice case designed to hold all four coins.

Also in the Orthodox Shrine series is the two coin set of coins honoring Saint Peter and Saint Paul.  These are one Troy ounce fine silver coins, with one side colorized and they are gilded.  These coins are dated 2010, and are coins of the island nation of Niue.  They have a two dollar denomination each, and come housed together in a beautiful box.  Mintage of this set is a mere two thousand sets.

The Windows of Heaven coin series is a fantastic representation of some of the most impressive stained glass windows in the world.  These are sterling silver coins with a translucent replica of the stained glass window from a cathedral or church.  The windows have a worldwide scope, depicting actual windows in miniature from around the world.

Each coin contains fifty grams of 0.925 Sterling silver, which is between one and two Troy ounces.  The mintage for each coin is two thousand pieces.  The coins come with a Certificate of Authenticity, and are boxed. 

These coins are Cook Islands coins with a denomination of ten dollars.  The dollar on the Cook Islands takes the same value as the dollar of New Zealand.

The coins have been coming out at the rate of two per year, starting in 2010, which increased later when they became obviously popular. 

The coins in the series include those listed below.

The Cathedral of Cologne – 2010

Westminster Abbey - 2010 Cologne - 2010

Notre Dame de Paris - 2011

Cathedral of Saint Petersburg Saville Cathedral -2011

Church of Saint Catherine Bethlehem - 2012

Saint Isaac's Cathedral - 2012

Church of Saint Grancis Chartres Notre Dame Cathedral- 2013

Milan Cathedral – 2013

Our Lady of Lourdes Sanctuary = 2013

Metropolitan Cathedral Buenos Aires – 2014

Sacre Couer Montmartre = 2014

Washington Cathedral Lunar Rock - 2014

Stockholm Cathedral, or Stockholm’s Great Church – 2015

Zagreb Cathedral Lunar Rock – 2015

The Cologne Cathedral three coin set of three ounce silver coins is a special set embedded in the Windows of Heaven coin series.  These are fine silver coins, and are part of the Windows of Heaven Giants.  This set is dated 2014.  These have a denomination of twenty dollars.

The Holy Windows coins are minted on square plunchets, oriented so as to form a diamond.  These coins are issued for the Republic of Palau, and are minted with a fineness of 0.999 fine silver.  Mintage for each coin is nine hundred ninety-nine pieces.  These coins have an antique finish to the silver, and contain fifty grams of silver per coin.  A translucent window through which light can pass, depicting a stained glass window of a church or cathedral worldwide, is set right in the coin.  This series appears to have ended.

Below is a list of coins from this series.

Santiago de Compostela - 2011

Saint Peter's Basilica Vatican - 2011

Saint Patrick's Cathedral New York - 2011

Votive Church Vienna - 2012

Cathedral of Brasilia Brazil – 2012

Saint Vitas Prague - 2013

Saint Stephen;s Basilica – 2014

The Brazil window is triangular, and the Saint Peter's window is circular.

These coins are incredible works of art, and should be displayed.  Perhaps you would place them on some shelf, or maybe on a table, then cover the coins with a transparent covering like a box to protect them from dust.  The Last Supper coin, in particular, would look great in many dining rooms.

Yes, and some are quite beautiful.  I consider these unique in their appearance, and recommend them highly.  But, uf you search you can find others.  

The small city-state of Andorra continued to mint coins using the old diner unit, even though Andorra has now joined part of the European Union.  The continuation of the diner is because the small nation wanted to mint artistic commemorative coins, but had a delay in being allowed to mint Euros.

PAMP does not sell coins except through authorized distributors if there is one in your area, and after searching extensively I cannot determine where the Windows of Heaven coins, nor the Holy Windows coins, are being minted.  I suspect they are being privately made.  Often small nations allow their name to be used for a fee, and do not have the coins minted themselves.  If that is the case the person who paid for the right to mint these would have exclusive rights, and the identity of the mint would remain hidden.

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