Mint Club #3 – Ron Landis and Our First Hand-Engraved Die
In 2012, we commissioned Ron Landis to hand-engrave our first die. Mint Club #3 brings that early piece of Intaglio Mint history into a 1 troy ounce .999 fine silver round. The beauty and character of the hand-engraved logo are the heart of this release, giving a familiar mark a particularly personal connection to the craft behind it.
This issue was announced as the first and last commercial product to use this die.
The Engraver Behind the Design
Landis’s own studio biography traces his training to hand engraving and jewelry work, followed by experiments with engraved wax seals. Creating a seal required him to work backward into the metal so that its impression would emerge in relief. His later Gallery Mint work explored historical die sinking and coinmaking methods, making the practice of the craft as important as the finished object.
Why the Die Matters
A minting die carries the design in negative. When it strikes the blank, the recessed image becomes the raised detail seen on the finished piece. Hand engraving therefore requires the artist to think about the final impression while shaping its opposite in metal. This round lets collectors appreciate that relationship through the Intaglio Mint logo itself, rather than through a separate historical or mythological scene.
Design and Mint Club Reverse
The obverse is struck from the Intaglio Mint logo die engraved by Ron Landis. The reverse features a spread-winged eagle beneath a crown, holding a flowing ribbon against a circular diamond-patterned background. Limited Mintage and Mint Club inscriptions surround the composition, alongside the stated total mintage of 500 and the silver hallmark.
Specifications
- Weight: 1 troy ounce
- Purity: .999 fine silver
- Diameter: 39 mm
- Thickness: 3.10 mm
- Edge: Reeded
- Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated
- Stated total mintage: 500
View and save the Certificate of Authenticity.
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