A Lucky Pig made of pure gold

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August 21, 2014 – A coin is a coin is a coin. And coins are round. Aren’t they?! Again and again, the creative team at Coin Invest Trust shows that coins can be many things: heart-shaped, star-shaped or pig-shaped. Now comes a lucky pig in pure gold, from Liechteinstein, for Palau.

Palau/ 1 Dollar/ Gold .9999/ 0.5 g/ 11 mm/ Mintage: 15,000.

In German, there is a curious idiom about pigs and luck. “Schwein haben” – literally, “to have a pig” – in German simply means “to be lucky”. As so often with idiomatic expressions, the etymological origin of the phrase is unclear. Some have tried to trace it back to a medieval custom, according to which pigs were a common consolation prize in shooting competitions. Others believe that the phrase originated in the context of a particular card game, in which the ace, as highest card in the deck, is also referred to as “Sau” (sow). Having an ace meant having a stroke of luck.

Be that as it may, you can never be too lucky, then and now. In former times, against the backdrop of pig farming being a lucrative business, you literally couldn’t have “too many pigs” to secure your financial wealth. Already in antiquity, pigs were regarded as symbols of wealth and fertility. Germanic tribes, for instance, were fond of sacrificing well-fed boars to please their gods. Today, we have found alternative ways to presenting someone with an actual pig if we want to wish them luck. Pigs made of marzipan, cloth or pure gold do the trick just as well.

Another highly popular symbol of luck is the four-leaf clover. The rarity of luck is reflected in the rarity of its symbol. Christian theology used to interpret the plant in terms of the four gospels, other traditions preferred to read the four leaves as the four elements. Even Asian cultures connote the rare gene mutation positively.

Beyond that, the combination of pig and clover is extremely common. The English idiom “like a pig in clover” is centuries old and vividly depicts someone as being more than lucky, just like a pig freely indulging in clover, its favourite delicacy. Although this phrase does not specifically reference the four-leaf clover, it nevertheless nicely illustrates the attractive combination of pig and clover.

So, what could possibly be a more perfect gift to wish someone luck than a coin made of pure gold and shaped like a pig that is happily chewing on a four-leaf clover? Turn the coin around and you’ll be delighted with a view of the pig’s behind. Smiles guaranteed. And luck will surely follow soon.

Click here to find the coin in the Coin Invest Trust Online Shop.

And here are many more lucky pigs