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Australia's Wedge-Tailed Eagle Has Put on a Little Weight!
There's no denying it – former U.S. Mint Chief Engraver John Mercanti is a numismatic legend. Not only has he created more coin and medal designs than any other U.S Mint engraver in history, he's also the first former Chief Engraver to design coins for a foreign world mint. That series – Australia's Wedge-Tailed Eagle – became an instant collector favorite upon its release in 2014. Little did we know that when we brought Mercanti and the Perth Mint together to collaborate on the new coin that we'd help start an international sensation!
In 2018, the Perth Mint did something extra special to Mercanti's Wedge-Tailed Eagle: They're fattened him up! That's right, for the first time in the 5-year history of the series they have released a double-thick two-ounce silver Piedfort! Struck on an extra thick planchet of 99.99% pure silver, the design is the same as what appears on the thinner one-ounce version. Piedforts take their name from the French words for "heavy weight." This type of extra thick coin was first struck in France during the 12th century.
When you turn this legal tender coin over in your hand and marvel at its beauty, you'll understand why the Perth Mint's reputation for innovation and producing coins of superior quality is unsurpassed. In fact, your coin is so nearly flawless that it has been graded by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) as being in perfect Proof-70 Ultra Cameo (PF70UC) condition, a distinction that means your perfectly-graded proof will have ZERO imperfections – showing all features and fields exactly as the engraver and mint intended!
And speaking of the design, the 2018 image is brand-new! In 2014 and 2015, the series featured Mercanti's vision of an eagle in flight, ready to land. The next two years displayed a perched eagle with a stoic and majestic gaze. Now, for 2018, the time is due for another new creation -- one that, along with all designs to follow, will be struck for one year and one year only!
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