I picked up this 1/2 ounce fine silver Egyptian cat goddess Bastet round a few weeks ago, it was minted by Monarch Precious Metals.
Egyptian Cat Goddess
In Egyptian lore, Bastet the cat goddess, known also as Bast, was the daughter of Ra the sun god and Isis the moon goddess. She was associated with good health, pleasure, protection, women's secrets, fertility, cats, and child birth. A protector, Bast was originally a fierce deity, but her aggressive attributes were eventually passed onto Sekhmet the war and battle goddess.
Monarch Precious Metals
This 1/2 ounce .999 fine silver Bastet the Cat Goddess round is from Monarch Precious Metals, Medford, OR USA. This high relief round was applied with antique patina and anti-polish by Monarch to give it an antique look.
The cat side of the silver round features the goddess Bastet in the Egyptian style feline cat form, on top of a hieroglyph background. To the left of the cat is the text "1/2 TROY OZ", to the right of the cat is the text "999 FINE SILVER". The border has an interesting thatched pattern, to the left of the tail end is the Monarch Precious Metals crown logo mint mark.
The reverse side of the round features the Egyptian cat goddess depicted with a human body, sitting on a throne, holding a staff, on top of a background featuring an ankh on the left and multiple hieroglyphs. There's a snake going around the border edge of the round.
There was not too much of a premium on this 1/2 oz Silver round, close to the cost of half a sovereign 1 oz coin. Above you can see it's close to the same size as a USA silver half dollar. A unique looking fine silver half ounce coin for the collection.
