Bullion

Subject

Noah’s Ark Bullion Coins

Description

Noah's Ark is a series produced by Geiger Edelmetalle GmbH, first introduced on June 27, 2011. Currently, the coins come in denominations of 100, 200, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000, and 20,000 dram.

The coins, designed by Armenian artist, Eduard Kurghinyan, commemorate Noah's Ark, which came to rest on the Mountains of Ararat after the Great Flood, according to Genesis 8:4 in the Bible and the Torah. Each denomination of the coin is composed of .999 fine silver. Depicted on the obverse of the coins is the Armenian coat of arms, with the value (as "ԴՐԱՄ·DRAM"), the year of minting, the coin's silver purity, and the number of troy ounces of silver that make up the coin. Surrounding all this is the state title of Armenia (Armenian: ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆԻ ՀԱՆՐԱՊԵՏՈՒԹՅԱՆ; English: REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA). On the reverse was a rendition of Noah's Ark and a dove holding an olive branch, with Mount Ararat in the background. Circling this image is an inscription in Armenian reading, "ՆՈՅՅԱՆ ՏԱՊԱՆ", and one in English reading, "NOAH'S ARK".

On June 27, 2011, Noah's Ark coins were minted in denominations of 100, 200, and 500 drams. About six months later, on January 10, 2012, larger denomination coins of 1000, 5000, 10,000, and 20,000 dram were introduced.

The metal used for the coins is provided by Leipziger Edelmetallverarbeitung, which features its hallmark on the Noah's Ark coin's obverse, and adheres to standards set by the London Bullion Market Association. Geiger Edelmetalle GmbH, a private mint in Germany, is given permission to mint these coins, as well as advertise, market, and sell them.

Despite being legal tender in Armenia, the Noah's Ark bullion coins are not sold by the Central Bank of Armenia, but by Geiger Edelmetalle GmbH and other European dealers. Without a certificate of authenticity, the validity of these coins was questioned until information was included on the Central Bank of Armenia's website.

The information is provided by www.currencies.wikia.com

Silver Coin Mintages:

	20,000d	10,000d	5,000d	1,000d	500d	200d	100d
2011 UNC	-	-	-	-	268,325	15,533	17,068
2012 Proof	-	-	-	-	2,000	2,000	2,000
2012 UNC	163	2,449	2,003	3,550	457,576	102,028	173,696
2013 UNC	171	2,826	1,992	2,436	581,800	90,204	124,713
2014 UNC	476	2,590	3,645	4,535	566,323	87,563	113,723
2015 UNC	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
2016 UNC	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
2017 UNC	?	?	?	?	?	?	?