October 26, 2017 – The cobra is one of the most fascinating animals in the world. To this impressive genus CIT, for the Cook Islands, dedicates the third issue in its “Magnificent Life” series.
Cook Islands / 5 Dollars / Silver .999 / 1 oz / 38.61 mm / Mintage 999 / Design CIT
The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Elizabeth II of England, as well as her name, the name of the issuing nation, nominal value, and year of issue.
The reverse features the coloured head of a rearing cobra, below, the name of the series “Magnificient Life”.
The cobra – a cultic worship from antiquity to today
The cobra is one of the most fascinating animals in the world. The habitat of the 28 species known today stretches from South Africa to South-East Asia. The most striking feature of many cobras is their hood, the stretchable skin in the neck area, which the up to 2.5 m large snakes expand when threatened. Towering high, the snake rears upwards, fixates on its opponent and produces hissing sounds before attacking to bite or spit its highly potent venom over a distance of up to 4 m towards the attacker’s eyes.
A striking feature of the cobra: the stretchable skin in the neck area to defend itself. Photo: Saleem Hameed / CC BY 2.5
While the snake’s prey – small mammals, birds, or lizards – is helpless against the venom, it can, even in humans, cause blindness or paralysis with fatal consequences in the course of only a few hours. Legend has it that the Egyptian queen Cleopatra committed suicide helped by the deadly bite of an Egyptian Cobra. Egyptian mythology attributed protective powers to the rearing Egyptian Cobra, also known as Uraeus. And Cobras are still an object of worship in Hinduism today, where they symbolize the fertility of the highest-ranking deity Shiva.
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To this impressive genus CIT, for the Cook Islands, dedicates the third issue in its “Magnificent Life” series. Like its predecessors, Peacock and Wasp Spider, the snake stands out exceptionally high from the concave coin field thanks to smartminting© technology. The technical perfection of the cupped proof surface with delicate selective gloss and brilliant colouring creates an incredible true-to-life rendition of the snake; a perfection best brought out in this film produced by CIT.
The coin is minted by B.H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt. The coins are available through coin dealers.
Further information about the coin, you can find here.
You can find the website of Coin Invest Trust here.
And to inform you about the cobra and their different species, you can find a Wikipedia entry here or watch a documentary here.