THE Royal Mint has released its latest coin, which is celebrating the Year of the Tiger ahead of Chinese New Year.
It weighs 8kg (17.6lb) and has a diameter of 185mm (7.3in) which is the largest ever produced as part of the Shengxiao Collection.
The Royal Mint said the coin blends elements of traditional British design and craftsmanship with ancient Chinese culture.
It depicts the tiger face on, and its Chinese character positioned nearby.
When inspecting the design closely, an additional Chinese character can be seen on the tiger’s forehead. It represents the Chinese character for “king”, which is said to originate from the pattern on the tiger’s head.
The weight of the coin was selected due to the number eight being considered lucky and associated with wealth and prosperity.
It was created using traditional minting skills and innovative technology with engraving machines spending 200 hours carefully carving the design.
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After that it was then hand-worked, carefully removing any marks made by the cutting process, before undergoing 100 hours of hand-polishing.
Finally, the coin was laser-frosted for 50 hours using picosecond laser technology, to selectively texture the surface to showcase the detail of the design.
The 8kg coin is available to be purchased by a collector, with the price available upon application to the Royal Mint.
A coin of such caliber and craftsmanship would be priced in the region of six figures, the Mint added.
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