Noah's Ark 1 oz Silver Coin Our Choice - Minty

These Pre-Owned Noah's Ark One Ounce Silver Coins are the first silver bullion coins from Armenia.

These coins are sold on an 'our choice' basis so the year of issue will vary.

Minty coins are our hand-picked selection of bullion coins that are in mint condition and usually, but not always, have been minted in recent years. They may have slight production marks, which is the case for the latest bullion coins too. Any coins with more severe scratches and scuff marks would be classed as secondary market. Please note that 'minty' is not a traditional grade.

These coins come loose; you can add a 39mm capsule or gift box to your order in the basket.

Noah's Ark

These coins were produced by Leipziger Edelmetallverarbeitung in Germany under licence from the Reserve Bank of Armenia. Introduced in 2011, this silver bullion coin has grown in popularity and is a favourite with investors looking for quality silver bullion at great prices.

Armenia

Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Situated at the juncture of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to the east.

Brief Armenian History

Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires, including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920.

Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The situation was reversed when conflict erupted again in late 2020, which saw Azerbaijan regain most of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh and large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh itself, including the culturally significant city of Shusha.

Turkey closed the land border with Armenia in 1993 because of the Armenian separatists' control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas. No official diplomatic relations exist between the two nations.

The obverse of the Noah's Ark coin features the coat of arms of Armenia, the denomination of 500 Dram and the issuing country in both Armenian and English:

Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

It also states the weight as 1 Oz and the purity of Ag 999.

Designed by Eduard Kurghinyan, the reverse of the coin features a dove carrying an olive in front of Noah's Ark with Mount Ararat in the background. The legend reads "Noah's Ark" in both English and Armenian.