2021 Benin 1 Kilogram Mouth of Truth Marble & Antique Finish Silver Coin

The artisans at P. de Greef in Belgium have done it again with this centerpiece numismatic marvel that is dedicated to the “Bocca della Verita” or Mouth of Truth Marble Mask,  a massive sculpture that resides in the Cosmedin Church in Rome, Italy. This giant 1 kilogram silver coin is replete with stunning features.  It begins with the now classic de Greef Ultra High Relief strike which is further enhanced with an innovative and realistic marble coating that is finally topped off with a deep antique finish. Ultra low mintage of only 99 pieces worldwide. Backstory: The Mouth of Truth is a marble mask in Rome, Italy, which stands against the left wall of the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin church, at the Piazza della Bocca della Verita. The massive marble mask weighs about 1300 kilos and is thought to depict the face of the sea titan god Oceanus. Historians aren’t quite certain what the original purpose of the disc was. It was possibly used as a drain cover in the nearby Temple of Hercules Victor, which had an oculus – a round open space in the middle of the roof, similar to that of the Pantheon. An alternate consideration is that cattle merchants used it to drain the blood of stock that had been sacrificed to the god Hercules. In the thirteenth century the disc was removed from the temple and placed against the wall of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Later In the seventeenth century, it was eventually relocated to its current location inside the portico of the church.