Egyptian Gods Series 2 oz Silver Ultra High Relief
One of the more coveted collectible silver round collections of recent memory has been the Egyptian Gods Series. The collection debuted with four distinctive designs, each one featuring two different historical depictions of an Ancient Egyptian deity as recorded in hieroglyphs from the ancient era. After a pause in the series, Provident Metals is proud to offer collectors with new designs as the series picks up where it left off. To ensure continuity in the look and feel of the series, the original designer, Heidi Wastweet, is also returning to complete the obverse and reverse designs for the relaunch of the collection.
Original and New Designs
When the Egyptian Gods Series debuted in the fall of 2015, the series would start with the image of Cleopatra and go on to release three subsequent designs. Regardless of the deity featured in the obverse and reverse designs, aspects of the series remained the same with each release, including the metal content, purity, and the strike style. You can read more on that in the Series Details below. Through the original production run of the series, the following images were released to collectors:
- Cleopatra (original): The inaugural design of the series featured Cleopatra, the final rule of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. She was descended from its founder, a Macedonian Greek and she was the only Ptolemaic ruler to learn the language of the people she ruled over. Her beauty was so renowned that she became a long-lasting symbol of beauty for centuries to come.
- Anubis (original): Known as the god of death, mummification, embalming, and the afterlife, Anubis assumed various roles depending on the context. During the First Dynasty, he was known as a protector of graves and an embalmer. With the rise of the Middle Kingdom, he was replaced in his role as the lord of the underworld by Osiris. Anubis is notable in Ancient Egyptian depictions for having the body of a man and the head of a jackal.
- Sobek (original): Like many Ancient Egyptian deities, Sobek is depicted in varying forms. He is associated with the Nile crocodile and is often depicted as either a full-fledged crocodile or as a man with the head of a crocodile. Sobek was reflective of the power of the pharaoh, with fertility, and with military prowess. He was also seen as a symbol of protection against the ever-present dangers of the Nile River.
- Khnum (original): The final release in the original run of Egyptian Gods Series silver rounds was the image of Khnum. On the earliest deities referenced in Egyptian hieroglyphs, Khnum was originally known as the source of the Nile River. Because the Nile flooded annually and bright with it silt and clay, it brought life to its surroundings. He is considered the creator of human bodies, particularly children, and is often depicted at a potter’s wheel crafting bodies from clay.
- Osiris (new): The god Osiris was associated with fertility, agriculture, and the afterlife. Osiris is closely associated with the power of the pharaoh. He was murdered by his brother Set and dismembered, but his wife Isis gathered his body parts and wrapped his body back together in mummification wraps. He is depicted in human form wrapped to the chest after Isis resurrected him, and he wears the Atef crown while holding the crook and flail, symbols of kingship and fertile land, respectively.
- Sekhmet (new): As the second design in the series restart, the image of Sekhmet celebrates the goddess known for her association with warfare. Specifically, Sekhmet takes charge of the forces of the pharaohs in war. She is shown in the obverse design wielding a bloodied sickle in her hand. As is common with these designs, the hieroglyphs featured on this side represent her name as shown in Egyptian art and texts. The reverse side features the image of Sekhmet in her animal form, which is a depiction of a cat that is seated on a sarcophagus.
- Horus (new): In the third release of new designs, and the seventh overall in the collection, Horus is depicted. The son of Osiris and Isis, Horus is closely associated with his father, Osiris, in Egyptian mythology as both are closely related to the pharaohs and while Horus is related to the living pharaohs, his father Osiris is associated with the pharaohs as they pass into the afterlife. Horus is featured in the obverse design in the foreground, with the opposing Egyptian deity Set in the background. Set is famous for damaging one of Horus’ eyes, but this eventually resulted in the Eye of Horus, a symbol that evolved from Thoth restoring Horus’ vision. For the reverse, a falcon is perched on a slab with a cobra snake slithering around the base.
- Thoth (new): The fourth new design in the Egyptian Gods Series, and eighth overall, Thoth is best known as a patron of scribes and the recorder of the deities. Said to have been born from the lips of Ra during the creation of the world, Thoth created the art of writing, invented the calendar, and even controls time and space, according to Egyptian mythology. In his role as a scribe and recorder of the deities, he performs a vital function in recording the verdict during the heart-weight ceremony that determines whether or not the recently departed will advance to the afterlife or not.
- Wadjet (new): For the fifth design in the program reboot, and the ninth overall, the goddess Wadjet features in the design of the silver rounds. Wadjet was closely linked to both Ra, the sun god, and Horus, the sky god associated with kingship. She was considered a protective deity for both of these important gods, often acting as a guardian against threats and enemies. Wadjet was usually depicted as a cobra, often in a rearing or upright position. Sometimes, she was shown with a lioness head, further emphasizing her protective attributes. In later periods of Egyptian history, Wadjet was often combined with other deities, such as Nekhbet, the vulture goddess, to represent both upper and lower Egypt united under the pharaoh’s rule.
Upcoming Designs
After a hiatus in the production of the silver rounds in this collection, new designs were released in the beginning of 2021. Collectors eagerly anticipating the return of the series can look forward to the release of at least three new designs in the series, each one following in the mold of the original issues that debuted in 2015. The 2 oz silver rounds are again struck in ultra-high relief with images reflecting each deity on both the obverse and reverse. With Osiris marking the restart of the series, additional designs are planned to expand the series for its dedicated base of collectors.
Series Details
All of the 2 oz silver rounds in this collection feature .999 pure silver content and come with an ultra-high-relief strike. An ultra-high-relief round is one that is struck under immense pressure during the coining process. The goal is to create a design field with greater depth in the field and higher 3D relief on the design strike. An ultra-high-relief round has such great 3D detail that it is almost as though the design element itself is a small statue on the surface of the silver round.
Each one of the silver rounds comes in brand-new condition at the point of issue, with individual rounds in plastic flips and multiples inside of acrylic tubes of 20. All of the designs, past and present, were created by coin designer Heidi Wastweet.
Mintage Details to Date
While final mintages for the new designs released and upcoming in the series remain unknown, many of the final mintage tallies are in for the original designs of the collection. these include:
- Cleopatra: 38,767 rounds
- Anubis: 16,142 rounds
- Sobek: 12,500 rounds
- Khnum: 7,502 rounds
- Osiris: 24,800 rounds
- Sekhmet: 26,020 rounds
- Horus: 24,765 rounds
- Thoth: 19,835 rounds
- Wadjet: 12,705 rounds
About the Artist – Heidi Wastweet
When the original designs of the Egyptian Gods Series were released, it was Heidi Wastweet behind the artwork on each of the silver rounds. Ms. Wastweet has a remarkable career that dates back to 1987. Throughout the course of her career, she has created more than 1,000 coin and medal designs for private mints. She worked as the Chief Engraver of the Sunshine Mint for 11 years. She later served as the lead designer and sculptor for the Global Mint for five years. Some of her medal designs reside in the collections of institutions such as the Smithsonian, the British Museum, and the American Numismatic Society.
Continue Your Egyptian Gods Collection with Provident Metals
As the Egyptian Gods Series resumes, now is your chance to continue your collection with the upcoming new designs for the series. Please feel free to reach out to Provident Metals with any questions. You can call us at 800-313-3315, chat with us live online, or simply send us an email. Please don’t hesitate to consult our Payment Methods page with any questions about completing your purchase.