AgAuNEWS said:
In what way? I've been looking at the Mammoth coin recently an understood that to be cast. Is it not? If the statement is incorrect I'd like to fix it.
Thanks for seeking further info on this, and your willingness to reconsider how that's presented.
Really, it's only 1 line of quite an extensive article. But also keep in mind that there's a small-but-growing group of "rabid, die-hard fan-boys" of these beautiful Chinese pieces -- including myself.
Also keep in mind that the Chinese have been experimenting & mastering this technique for years -- going back to at least 2011, if not earlier. And they've put out quite a few issues & series, whether done in gold, silver, brass, copper & bronze, in a variety of designs, weights & sizes. These artists & Chinese mints are, IMO, miles ahead of any competition. Many other mints from around the world should be ashamed, really.
What these Chinese medals lack, in comparsion, however, are the awareness & promotion / marketing, as well as availability & distribution. Though there have been some recent & welcomed in-roads made in these areas, as well. In fact, I'd rather see it remain relatively quiet, for various reasons.
In any event, I first take issue with these being typed as cast. At first glance, one would perhaps think so, especially given what the average collector/stack has been accustomed to with products from other mints. However, from everything that I've seen & heard, the overwhelming majority of these are minted. I also own quite a few, myself, and none of them are cast. I don't own the Mammoth (yet?), but it's my understanding that it, too, is minted & not cast.
In fact, there have been credible reports that oftentimes many dies are used for even a relatively tiny mintage run, as they crack from the extreme pressure needed to produce the ultra-high relief. Given that I have pieces in hand, which I'm not entirely sure that you would be able to say the same, I can completely undertstand & believe that oftentimes these dies do crack fairly easily. I can also say with confidence that these don't appear in the least bit to be cast, but rather minted.
Second, I take issue with the statement that this new series, starting with the Odin coin, is approaching the style & craftsmanship of many of these Chinese medals. It depends how you read that, really. But again, having quite a few of these medals in hand (although not having the Odin in hand, despite the photos & video), I'm comfortable in saying that, while a welcome entry to the game, I still don't put it in the same league. They've got a ways to go -- and as mentioned, many other mints do, as well.
For one, the Odin is really only one-sided when it comes to the relief, for all intents & purposes. Oftentimes, both sides of Chinese medals are produced in such a manner. With the Odin, it seems as though one is paying full price for only half the product.
Next, it appears the Odin is lacking what I refer to as "stacked" and "staggered" relief, which is basically various levels of layers of relief multi-directionally intertwined as part of the design in various ways. It's not easy to describe, but as with pornography, you'll know it when you see it.
Finally, it appears that there is way too much uniformity with the Odin -- as if somebody took a Chinese medal with its angled & rounded & curved high-points of relief at various height levels, and simply lopped it off flat-clean at a certain height across the entire medal. Here are a couple screenshots I took from the Odin video to best represent that, when looking at a perpendicular angle..
....
As you can see, it is rather flat, unlike various Chinese medals. There are no areas of the design protruding out, above & beyond that clean, uniform lopped-off level -- which makes for a less-exciting visual experience.
Anyway, hopefully all that makes sense. :lol:
And again, I'm glad to see something like the Odin finally come out. It is most certainly a step in the right direction, and I hope they & other mints can expand on that; I believe it's only natural that they will -- or at least try.
Heck, I'm even toying with the idea of picking up 1 or 2 of these, myself. But I also know that I -- along with some of my fellow rabid Chinese medal fan-boys -- am not entirely impressed with this Odin, as some others are out there who are used to the ho-hum of normal-relief coins & rounds, or even the "ultra" high-relief pieces (and I use those quotes for a reason), such as the Provident Privateer, which I own.
And as for the term "max relief," which may insinuate that this is the absolute best something of this nature could ever be accomplished, I do have to chuckle a bit.
But at least those behind it are trying to differentiate themselves from the over-used hyperbole of "ultra-high relief" that's been thrown around willy-nilly as of late. I can respect that, as it does appear the Odin is a step up from those.
In any event, if you've made it this far into the post, thanks for your time on hearing my thoughts, and for the consideration of editing the article, should you choose to.
Ultimately, it is about the Odin -- and hopefully of what we'll see as a continuing wave of sexy high-relief designs & artistry, of pieces pushing the minting limits & and of designs covering a wide variety of subject matter, coming from many mints around the world, which I've been wanting to see for quite some time now.
. It is also the fun way to find the treasure since information is not full.