Dawning Hope 2010 Geocoin - Midgard Antique Gold LE

Gregson about this coin:
"The purpose of this coin is to showcase tengwar and remind that hope always returns. The transition from winter to summer is moon shaped to recall another natural cycle of growth and death. The moon phase is waxing to show that, on this coin, hope is currently in the growth phase. I tried to pick Elfish themes of growing plants and a star, which in this case represents a light in the darkness. This coin is intended for people who feel that hope is far away. By the way, the English and tengwar say the exact same thing to act as a Rosetta Stone.
This coin is the first of a series showcasing different writing systems. This first coin will feature tengwar runes. These letters were invented by JRR Tolkien in the early part of the 20th century to be used in his poetry and fiction. It has appeared on at least three other geocoins, but never this prominently. Most people are familiar with tengwar as the writing on the one ring from "Lord of the Rings"

 

 

The coin is initially made in three versions (Nov. 2010):

Midgard - real 18k gold plating with an antique finish and transparent hard enamel
Sea of Tranquility - two-tone real 18k gold plating with an antique finish and shiny nickel
Gondolin - antique copper and transparent hard enamel (artist's edition, private sales only)

In March 2011 there had been two new editions: a 2-tone gold on copper (Sea of Nectar edition) and a 2-tone shiny nickel on black nickel (Darkest Before Dawn edition).

The Sea of Nectar edition will use a technique that I believe has never been used before in geocoins. Instead of being copper plated, the coin will be solid copper with gold highlights. This is for true copper aficionados who want their coins to age well. Metal platings will come off over time, but solid copper will develop a characteristic copper patina that is regarded as desirable by the art world. The shiny gold highlights will be 18-24 carat in purity. This metal was chosen especially for its longevity and durable beauty.

The Darkest Before Dawn edition will be a limited to a minting run of fifty coins and will never again be produced. In order to show my thanks to this community, this edition will only be made available to members of this forum. The mint informed me that making just the stars and snowflakes shiny nickel would be too difficult, so the color scheme will be as shown in the picture at the beginning of this post.

The coin is 2 inches in diameter and 3.5mm thick. It is named "Dawning Hope 2010" and this title as well as the tracking number are engraved on the side.

 

 

The writing on the coin comes from a much longer poem about love and hope. The message on the coin is that even though hope sometimes seems distant, it always returns. Three instances of death and rebirth are included. The main message is that the death of winter is replaced by the rebirth of spring. It is again seen in the dividing line on the back side of the coin in the shape of a moon. Those who are familiar with lunar cycles will recognize that the winter phase is growing smaller and the spring phase is growing larger. The third instance is in the coin's name which reminds us that the death of night is replaced by the rebirth of morning.

The front side of the coin features stars which represent beacons of hope that shine through the darkness."

Complete list of Minting Mumbers:
Midgard (101 stamped 2010)
Gondolin (51 stamped 2010)
Sea of Tranquility (50 stamped 2010)
Sea of Nectar (50 stamped 2010)
Sea of Nectar (50 stamped 2011)
Sea of Crisis (Darkest Before Dawn) (50 stamped 2010)
Sea of Clouds (50 stamped 2011)
Lake of Dreams (50 stamped 2011)
Siege (2 stamped 2010)
Turgon (1 stamped 2010)
Elessar (1 stamped 2010)

Total number of Coins: 461

Dawning Hope 2010 Geocoin - Midgard Antique Gold LE 100
Brand: Gregson Vaux Artifacts