Worlds first pyramid shape coin-Isle of Man 2009

Do you know which coin is the Worlds first pyramid shape coin? Mosts of us have seen a round coin. The Australian 50 cent coin, for example, has twelve flat sides. A twist on it is wavy edges, found in the two dollar and the twenty cent coins of Hong Kong and the 10 cent coins of Bahamas. Some other coins, like the British Fifty pence coin, have an odd number of sides, with the edges rounded off. This way the coin has a constant diameter, recognisable by vending machines whichever direction it is inserted. What about a triangle shape coin, complete with a sand from the famous Tutankhamun Tomb?

This worlds first pyramid shape coin containing sand mintage by Pobjoy Mint Ltd. A minting company based in Kingswood park, Southern England. The Company has been deeply involved in the development and manufacture of coins, medals and tokens for the past 100 years. The Pobjoy family have been associated with fine metalwork since the Middle Ages. The Company was recently granted permission to use the family Coat of Arms in which the Medieval Popinjay is the central motif. The Popinjay was a painted wooden parrot used in archery contests in the 14th century and the name Pobjoy is derived from this. The Latin motto 'OCULO CERTO' means 'with an unerring eye' and applies equally to the ancestor's prowess as a marksman, as to the Company's reputation for the high quality and precision of its products.

In 2008, to commemorate the the return of Tutankhamun exhibition in London, for the first time since 1972, the Isle of Man issued a stunning series of new commemorative coins – including the world’s first Pyramid coins that are triangular in imitation of the ancient pyramids. Each coin depicts a priceless artifact from the tomb, including Tutankhamun’s legendary Death Mask and Throne. Due to the difficulty of striking coins in such unusual shapes, they are being issued in strictly limited numbers.

This year in 2nd march 2009, Pobjoy mint once again release another triangle shape coin. Isle of Man 2009 Tutankhamun Sand Triangle Coin released at this date to commemorate 70th Anniversary of the Death of Howard Carter. Howard Carter is the man who discovered the Tutankhamun's intact tomb in 1922, for which Tutankhamun's burial mask remains the popular face. The coin is in a stunning pyramid shape. It shows a design from the wall of Tutankhamun’s tomb, with Tutankhamun himself in the centre. The sun disc at the top contains ancient sand that was collected from the entrance of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Due to the coin’s unusual shape and the small amount of sand that was collected, the edition limits are exceptionally small. Each coin is presented in a specially commissioned, beautifully crafted Pyramid presentation case.

Tutankhamun (alternately spelled with Tutenkh-, -amen, -amon), was an Egyptian Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty (ruled 1333 BC – 1324 BC in the conventional chronology), during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom. His original name, Tutankhaten, means "Living Image of Aten", while Tutankhamun means "Living Image of Amun". Often the name Tutankhamun was written Amen-tut-ankh, meaning "living image of Amun", due to scribal custom which most often placed the divine name at the beginning of the phrase in order to honor the divine being. He is possibly also the Nibhurrereya of the Amarna letters. He was likely the eighteenth dynasty king 'Rathotis', who according to Manetho, an ancient historian, had reigned for nine years — a figure which conforms with Flavius Josephus' version of Manetho's Epitome.