2024 Honey Bee 2 Kilo Silver High Relief Antiqued

THE PERTH MINT HAVE SOLD OUT

The ancient Egyptians attached great religious and spiritual significance to honey bees, while many civilisations honoured them in art, jewellery, sculpture, and like the Greeks, on early coins. Fourteenth century English poet Geoffrey Chaucer admired their seemingly endless industry and energy, originating the phrase ‘busy as bees’.

If any insect can lay claim to be hardworking, it is the honey bee. The survival of the hive depends upon the queen, male drones, and female workers. The task of feeding them all falls to the last group. Foraging incessantly among flowering plants, their shopping list comprises two key ingredients: nectar – a sweet, sugary solution that they process into honey; and pollen – an important source of protein and other vital nutrients, especially for the hive’s young brood.

Described by Aristotle as ‘the nectar of the gods’, the delicious taste of honey is universally savoured by mankind. When collecting pollen, bees perform a largely unnoticed, yet vital biological service. By transferring sticky grains of pollen from the male part of a flower to the female part of another flower, they help facilitate pollination – through which plants produce fruits and seeds, and hence, are able to reproduce. About three-quarters of the world’s flowering plants and around one third of human food supply is represented by crops that are dependent on pollination by bees. In short, bees are essential to people and the planet.

Struck by The Perth Mint from 2 kilos of 99.99% pure silver, no more than 200 of the will be released.

The coin’s reverse portrays three worker bees on the petals of a large flower. The background includes representations of additional honey bees and flowers.

• Spectacular 2 Kilo 99.99% Pure Silver
• Antiqued High Relief
• Individual edge-numbering
• Mintage 200