March 16, 2017 – Such an iconic building deserves an iconic coin so Pobjoy Mint has elected to strike a coin that replicates this imposing shape with great accuracy. William Thornton is the man we can thank for this marvel of engineering and as he was born in the British Virgin Island it makes the Capitol coin a very fitting tribute.
Only a few shaped coins exist on the market and this $1 has a low mintage for a coin of this type increasing its rarity and desirability to collectors. The new and exclusive effigy design of HM Queen Elizabeth II is featured on the obverse which captures The Queen in all her glory.
British Virgin Islands / 1 Dollar / Nickel Silver / 35.40 g / 55×41 mm / Mintage: 5,000.
Pobjoy Mint is proud of the success it had producing such an unusual shaped coin for the British Virgin Islands and hope that the time and love spent creating this coin is easily recognisable to the collectors.
Behind the Coin
The United States Capitol is also known as Capitol Building and Capitol Hill is the headquarters of the US Congress and the seat of the Legislative branch of the US Federal Government and is located on top of Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. The word Capitol has a Latin origin and is vaguely associated with the Jupiter Optimus Maximus on Capitoline Hill which was one of the seven hills of Rome.
Capitol architect William Thornton.
A competition was held in the spring of 1792 with a prize of $500 to see which architect could propose the best design for the building. A late entry from amateur architect William Thornton was the source of the iconic shape that we see today. Thornton, born in the British Virgin Islands, was well travelled and gained inspiration for the frontage of the building from east front of the Louvre and the Paris Pantheon.
The first cornerstone of the Capitol was laid by the one and only George Washington in 1793 and construction of the 16 acre building continued until 1800. Upon completion famous dome wasn’t as grand as we see it today after being rebuilt in the 1850s it now stands three times as tall as the original and weighs 4,041 metric tons.
The interior of the Capitol is as impressive as the exterior and has strong ties with the art world. The hallways are line with lavish murals, animals and flora indigenous to the United States. It also houses the National Statuary Hall collection which comprises 100 statues one of which is a bronze statue of King Kamehameha that weighs an astonishing 6,804kg. The icing on the cake and something that any building wouldn’t be complete without is a private subway which was used to transport senators to the neighbouring congressional office buildings.
To learn more about this and other releases, please visit the website of British Pobjoy Mint.
And a rich source of information on the Capitol and its architect is the website Architect of the Capitol.