The art of quilling is the focus of a new $2 silver coin—Quilling Art Bird—issued by Liechtenstein’s Coin Invest Trust on behalf of Cook Islands.
Minted by B. H. Mayer’s Kunstprägeanstalt, Munich, the 2017-dated $2 Proof coin is struck in a half-ounce of .999 silver with a diameter of 50 mm. There is a mintage of 999 pieces.
The reverse features a left-facing bird on the branch of a stylized tree. Both the bird and two tree leaves are made with a paper quilling technique. The depiction is framed by ornaments, and an inscription reads “QUILLING ART 2017.”
The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Queen Elizabeth II alongside Her Majesty’s name, the title of the issuing nation and the nominal value.
QUILLING
Quilling is impressive proof that everyday materials can be turned into works of art.
It involves the crafty use of paper strips, which can be rolled, formed and glued together to create designs. Artists such as Yulia Brodskaya and Lisa Nilsson display their works, which often cover large areas with paper stripes rolled up into various shapes, in museums and galleries.
This form of paper art was practiced by monks and nuns during the Renaissance. At a time when the concept of “upcycling” had not yet been invented, they collected the paper strips leftover from book trimmings and turned them into elaborate ornaments for book covers.
Today, there are many practitioners of this hobby around the world.
QUILLING ART COINS
The coin’s obverse features a right-facing effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.
Coin Invest Trust first put this technique on a coin for the Cook Islands in 2016.
The 2017 issue of this popular series presents a bird on a coin surface minted with “smartminting” technology. Every specimen of this edition is unique with hand-crafted paper work.
For more information, visit coin-invest.li/coins/quilling-art-bird.