How much security do you need to mount a coin worth $3.5 million?
That was the challenge put to us last spring. Clearmount was commissioned by an art collector to design a base for the world's largest, most valuable gold coin. The task would have been a simple one, except the coin presented a number of special challenges:
1) it needed to be seen from all angles
2) it measured 21 inches in diameter, over an inch thick and weighed 220 pounds and oh, one more thing....
3) it was 99.999% pure gold.
Things got tougher when we were told that we could only handle it with white cotton gloves, and that even the slightest touch of the hand would leave marks or scratches. "You can imagine the tension in the room with four burly guys in cotton gloves trying to lift a 220 pound coin while three equally burly Brinks guards looked on," says David Plummer, Clearmount president.
The base had to be machined precisely to fit the 220 pound coin. The Clearmount team designed an 80 pound clear Lucite base that was strong enough to support the coin, with simple and elegant lines that would not detract from the coin's beauty.
Everything fit perfectly; the client was delighted with the way the customized Clearmount base showcased his prized "pocket change".
"Our company has been trusted to showcase some of the most prized medals and coins in the world such as the Governor General Medals, the Olympic medals, but never had I seen anything like this. It was absolutely breathtaking," Mr. Plummer added.