Do you know Santa? We do. Below is a walk through the creative process and design elements of our Around the World with Santa Claus Limited Edition Collectors Coin.
Theme: Around the World with Santa Claus
When one thinks of Santa Claus one of the most amazing thoughts is the global journey he makes each Christmas Eve to spread cheer and the spirit of giving. To honor Santa and his efforts we wanted to design a coin that reflected who Santa is in various cultures and how he is able to make his annual trek.
Concept Art: Once we pin down the theme of our coins, we create the concept art as a visual representation of the coin. This is adjusted until it is an accurate example of how we envision the coin.
3D Model: When the concept art is completed it is used to create a 3D model. This model goes through various adjustments to ensure that key features are not only visually accurate, but also to ensure that they meet technical specifications for the minting process.
Finished Coin: Upon final approval of the 3D model, a die is cut and used to strike the coins into solid heavy brass. This process is followed by a series of finishing procedures resulting in the finished high quality coins that we pride ourselves on at Icon Coins.
Fun Fact: One of the things Santa does in the “off season” is preside over weddings. He is known to present the newly married couples with The Marriage Coin as a gift! If you would like to have Santa perform your wedding, visit Weddings by Santa!
Design: Front
The “Heads” side of the coin features a high relief 3D portrait of the man himself, Santa Claus. As you can see, he is reviewing his list to determine who has been naughty and who has been nice! In order to create the portrait, we had to make sure we knew what Santa looked like, right? Red suit, fuzzy hat, white beard…. Sort of…. We all have a basic idea of what Santa looks like. At the same time, we also know he has a lot of helpers. We wanted the coin to look like Santa. The real deal. Truth be told, we have known Santa personally for quite some time, so we asked him to send us some reference photos.
Surrounding the portrait are twelve names that Santa goes by around the world:
English (UK): Father Christmas
Danish: Julemanden
Chilean Spanish: Viejo Pascuero
Chinese: Dun Che Lao Ren
French: Père Noël
German: Weihnachtsmann
Hungarian: Mikulas
Italian: Babbo Natale
Japanese: Hoteiosho
Romanian: Mos Craciun
Russian:Ded Moroz
Dutch: Sinterklaas
Fun Fact: The brass used to strike these beautiful coins was provided by Santa’s Workshop, and is the very same brass the elves use to create the reindeer’s sleigh bells. A special thanks to Smitty, the Workshop Blacksmith, for all his help!
Design: Back
The “Tails” side of the coin features a magical recreation of the compass Santa uses to travel the world on Christmas Eve! Although lots of technological advances and upgrades have been made to Santa’s sleigh over the years, this trusty compass is the driving force to keep Santa on course. While usually under tight wraps, Santa allowed us unprecedented access to the compass in order to accurately portray the finest details. Thanks, Santa!
Surrounding the compass is a variety of languages from around the world proclaiming “Merry Christmas”:
English: Merry Christmas
Spanish: Feliz Navidad
Irish: Nollaig Chridheil
Albanian: Gëzuar Krishtlindjet
Italian: Buon Natale
French: Joyeux Noël
Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka
Finish: Hyvää Joulua
German: Fröhliche Weihnachten
Samoan: Manuia le Kirisimasi
Fun Fact: Ever wonder where Santa gets his belly? There is a good chance that it comes from one of his other “off season” activities, Santa’s BBQ Catering! Check out all the goodies Santa whips up here.
Only 500 Around the World with Santa Claus Collectors Coins are available worldwide.
Click Here to Order Yours Today!
And of course, everyone here at Icon Coins would like to thank Santa Claus for sharing with us in this very special way, and for all that he does to spread joy, happiness, and the spirit of giving around the globe!