Dulce Periculum – Danger Is Sweet
Two Latin words meet a boldly modern image on Intaglio Mint’s Dulce Periculum round. A uniformed skeleton stands with crossed arms and a handgun in each hand, giving visual form to the phrase commonly rendered “Danger is sweet.” This 2 troy ounce .999 fine silver piece pairs literary roots with a dramatic military-style composition.
A Phrase from Horace
The words appear in Book III, Ode 25 of the Roman poet Horace’s Odes. The poem addresses Bacchus and imagines the speaker carried into an extraordinary state of poetic inspiration. Near its close, Horace describes the sweet peril of following the god crowned with vine leaves.
That setting gives the motto a more unexpected origin than its modern martial imagery might suggest. In the poem, the risk belongs to the heightened experience of inspiration and following a divine presence. Removed from the surrounding verse, the compact phrase becomes an evocative statement about danger’s attraction. This round offers its own visual interpretation through a contemporary skeletal figure and military equipment.
Crossed Arms and a Defiant Portrait
The obverse shows a skeleton wearing a military-style uniform and helmet. His crossed arms hold two different handguns: a revolver in one hand and a semi-automatic pistol in the other. Ammunition forms a radiating arrangement behind the figure, with dog tags hanging to either side. “DULCE PERICULUM” follows the upper circumference.
The skeletal subject adds a reminder of mortality to the motto’s suggestion of daring. The combination of the compact Latin inscription, symmetrical pose and radiating background gives the design a direct, graphic presence.
The reverse features the large Intaglio Mint logo within a plain border reading “TWO TROY OUNCES” above and “.999 FINE SILVER” below, flanked by stars.
Specifications
- Weight: 2 troy ounces
- Purity: .999 fine silver
- Diameter: 39 mm
- Thickness: approximately 6 mm
- Edge: Reeded
- Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated
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