Marie Curie-Skłodowska 2 Oz 2023 Proof Gold Smart Coin

Marie Curie-Skłodowska 2 Oz 2023 Proof Gold Smart Coin

A unique gold coin, issued by the Solomon Islands State for 2023 in the finest 999.9% pure gold, weighing 2 Oz (62.2 g), featuring one of the world's most famous scientists, Marie Curie-Sklodowska.

The reverse side of the coin shows a profile view of the scientist, which partially overlays her most famous discovery of the chemical element, radium, with its atomic number 88 and relative atomic weight 226 in laboratory objects and the symbol of radioactivity. The name "MARIE CURIE SKLODOWKA 1867-1937" and the information about winning the Nobel Prize in Physics "THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS 1903" complete the rim of the coin.
Marie Curie-Skłodowska was an important Polish scientist who was engaged in research in the field of physics and chemistry. She studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, where she also met her future husband Pierre Curie. During her doctoral studies under Henri Becquerel, she researched substances that exhibit intense radiation - radioactivity. After the discovery of thorium during further mineral research, she and her husband found a completely new element in the black ore from Jáchymov in Czechoslovakia, which they called radium. In 1900, the couple discovered that the gamma rays released from radium emitted additional radiation when they hit the metal. At a physics congress in 1902, they presented the discovery that radium emits heat, which they justified by saying that radioactive radiation gets its energy from atomic decay, which leads to the instability of the atom. In 1903, the couple were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, and in 1911 Marie Curie won a second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her discovery of polonium and radium. In 1934 Marie Curie-Skłodowska died of a hematopoietic disorder caused by ionizing radiation. In 1995, she was the first woman to be buried under the dome of the Pantheon in Paris for her significant contributions.

The obverse depicts the traditional portrait of Elizabeth II by Ian-Rank Broadley with the artist's initials 'IRB' at the top, and the oldest still exploited underground mine in Europe, the Svornost Mine, and the landmarks of Jáchymov at the bottom. The rim of the coin is then completed by the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II", "SOLOMON ISLANDS", "JACHYMOV" and the face value "200 DOLLARS".

The SMART coin combines artistic value with investment value. Unlike numismatics, smart coins serve primarily as a means of preserving value and increasing it. As such, they always carry a nominal value and are the official tender of a particular state. By meeting these criteria, the coins are exempt from VAT. In order to ensure worldwide liquidity, these coins are minted under the Solomon Islands banner and the obverse bears the likeness of the official head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. The motif on the obverse and reverse was created by medallist Michal Vitanovský and the coins are minted at the renowned Swiss refinery PAMP.