Habakkuk Geocoin - Philistine Edition

Bleibt beim Besitzer!

Habakkuk's Complaint
2 How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save?
3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
4 Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. The LORD's Answer
5 "Look at the nations and
watch and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do
something in your days
that you would
not believe,
even if you
were told.
6 I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own.
7 They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like a vulture swooping to devour;
9 they all come bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.
10 They deride kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; they build earthen ramps and capture them.
11 Then they sweep past like the wind and go on-- guilty men, whose own strength is their god."

Habakkuk - Philistine (Mystery I) - Edition
 
The blue of the Philistine coin was chosen to represent the lapis lazuli that wealthy Philistines would place on the lintels and posts of the doors leading into their homes. They - - said that lapis lazuli was born of the sea much -as their ancestors were.  In the ancient world, when the Babylonian empire still held sway over much of the land, a man by the name of Habakkuk began to dream dreams and prophesy. A message of utmost importance was revealed to him. While most of the leaders and men of power ignored his words or ridiculed him, a band of followers saw the wisdom of his words. These dedicated individuals, at great cost to themselves, set about the task of preserving his prophesy and delivering it to individuals of knowledge and influence. The followers brought by barge the finest frits from the golden city of Tanis and precious resins by caravan from Lebanon. Copper and bronze were smelted then beaten into shape by strong arms. Two hundred ninety-three coins were stamped, no more and no less, coins designed to last for millennia. One hundred fifty-one coins were finished with resin and one hundred forty-two coins were finished with glass fused upon the metal in the hottest furnaces. They were sent out to the kingdoms of Edom, Gilead, Ammon, Babylonia, and others. Two hundred ninety-three coins for two hundred ninety-three people of influence.
Front - The word at the top is "Habakkuk" written in Hebrew. The building is the Great Ziggurat and represents the Babylonian Empire. The background image is a war horse and a chariot wheel representing the Babylonian war machine. The text is from the first chapter of Habakkuk and is perhaps as relevant today as it was when it was first written. The idea in Habakkuk is that the people of Judea and Jerusalem had become unjust and cruel. The Babylonians were used by God as a tool to bring an end to the corrupt Judean government.
Back - This side of the coin shows a heart and feather being weighed on a scale. This imagery is well known from the Egyptian concept of judgement in which the heart of a person is weighed against the feather of Maat (truth). The balance shows that the person (most likely an influential citizen of Jerusalem) is weighed down with sin. The imagery also comes from the book of Daniel in which the king is told "You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting." The text at the bottom says "sun and moon stood still in the heavens." The top of the scale shows the sun and the moon in an eclipse to give gravity to God's judgement. The text in the background is from Habakkuk chapter 3.        

The ten editions are:

• Phoenician - LE 50 minted imitation hard enamel
• Babylonian - LE 51 minted imitation hard enamel
• Chaldean - LE 50 minted imitation hard enamel
• Edomite - XLE 20 minted glass (cloisonné)
• Gileadite - XLE 20 minted glass (cloisonné)
• Ammonite - XLE 21 minted glass (cloisonné)
• lsraelite - XLE 20 minted glass (cloisonné)
• Judean - XLE 20 minted glass (cloisonné)
• Philistine - XLE 20 minted glass (cloisonné)
• Mystery II - XLE 21 minted glass (cloisonné)

This coin is 1.75 inches in diameter, unactivated, and has its own unique icon. Not only is this an extrely limited edition, but the coin design has already been retired. Exactly 293 Habakkuk coin were made and they will never be reminted. The Mystery edition features borosilicate glass on the side with the heart and feather. Glass on metal (cloisonne) is found only on geocoins made by Gregson Vaux Artifacts and is the hardest and most durable finish available. Glass cannot be scratched by even hardened steel and it is so durable that cloisonne jewelry still exists from ancient Egypt. If taken care of, this coin will also retain its beauty for thousands of years.

Material: Borosilicate glass on metal
Brand: Gregson Vaux Artifacts