2025 Cook Islands Lost City Pompeii 3 oz Silver High Relief Colorized Proof Coin

Pompeii was a flourishing ancient Roman city near modern-day Naples in Italy that was destroyed by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 79 AD. The eruption buried the city under a thick layer of ash, pumice and lava, leaving it virtually untouched for centuries.

As the tragedy takes its course, Vesuvius covers the city with a layer of rock and dust that grows by 15 cm every hour. People are soon forced to flee from the houses in which they have sought refuge. The doors can no longer be opened. The dust cloud is now 30 km high, and the lava is inexorably making its way down into the valley. Breathing is no longer possible with the hot air burning your airways. It is impossible to escape across the sea because there are rocks in the harbor. In the end, more than 2,000 people die horribly. The ashes preserved buildings, streets and everyday objects as well as cavities in which the bodies of the victims lay. These were later made visible through plaster casts, showing the final moments of a doomed city.

This impressive coin shows exactly this tragic moment of the eruption.  On one side is Vesuvius, depicted in relief almost 10 mm high thanks to the smartminting® technique. You can clearly see the deadly lava flows making their way into the city depicted at the foot of the volcano. Two gladiators fighting in the nearby arena have no idea of the threat that is inexorably approaching.

This coin is an impressive snapshot, both historically and above all, technically.