Each year, as the holiday season approaches, we make limited number of our very special Around the Word with Santa Claus coins available. These coins are special not only because they are a Limited Edition part of the Icon Coins family of collectible coins, but also because they are only available for a short period of time each year making them a sought after gift item. With that said, we are excited that is is once again that time if year when we get to say Santa Claus Returns to Icon Coins!
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