Perth Mint has been releasing World Famous War Coin series focussing on five notable engagements that changed the course of history, The Perth Mint’s Famous Battles Series portrays battlefield scenes spanning more than two millennia. Another one of the world famous war coin series is the Battle of Cannae. The Battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War, taking place on August 2, 216 BC near the town of Cannae in Apulia in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage under Hannibal decisively defeated a numerically superior army of the Roman Republic under command of the consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro. This is the second release in five coin series. This coin is the second coin in this series and already sold out a few month back.
The Battle of Cannae is regarded as one of the greatest tactical feats in military history and, in terms of the numbers killed, the greatest defeat of Rome. Having recovered from their previous losses at Trebia (218 BC) and Trasimene (217 BC), the Romans decided to engage Hannibal at Cannae, with roughly 87,000 Roman and Allied troops. The Romans massed their heavy infantry in a deeper formation than usual while Hannibal utilized the double-envelopment tactic. This was so successful that the Roman army was destroyed as a fighting force. Following the Battle of Cannae, Capua and several other Italian city-states defected from the Roman Republic.
Photo by wikimedia: Hannibal_Slodtz_LouvreThe Second Punic War, which lasted between 218 and 201 BC, saw the Carthaginians under Hannibal inflict a series of crushing defeats on the Roman legions culminating at Cannae. Here, the Carthaginians faced a massive Roman army comprising 80,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry under the command of consuls Paullus and Varro. Flanked on either side by horsemen, the huge Roman infantry was unusually deep and tightly formed. Hannibal’s armoured cavalry charged into the Roman horsemen on the left, cutting them down before riding round the back of the enemy line. Meanwhile, the centre of the Carthaginian infantry pulled back, enveloping the legionaries until they were surrounded on all sides with no means of escape. Hailed as one of greatest tactical achievements in military history, the battle resulted in Rome’s greatest defeat with the loss of up to 50,000 men. Despite its devastating loss, however, Rome prevailed decisively at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC.
This stunning coin celebrates one of the world’s Famous War–The Battle of Cannae. It is minted by Perth Mint and come with Bullion Quality 99.9% Pure Silver. Each coin is housed in a silver presentation case and customised box shipper. No more than 5,000 of these coins will be released. A numbered Certificate of Authenticity accompanies each coin. This coin also issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Tuvalu. Tuvalu (/tuːˈvɑːluː/ or /ˈtuːvəluː/), formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia.
The coin’s reverse, which includes The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark, portrays a coloured depiction of the famous encounter. Struck elements of the design depict a Carthaginian warrior and one of Hannibal’s 30 war elephants, which famously crossed the Alps with his army.
Issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Tuvalu, the coin bears the Raphael Maklouf effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on its obverse.
Technical Specifications:
Silver Content (Troy oz) 1
Monetary Denomination (TVD) 1
Fineness (% purity) 99.9
Minimum Gross Weight (g) 31.135
Maximum Diameter (mm) 40.60
Maximum Thickness (mm) 4.00
Source: Wikipedia, Perth Mint
