2016 - $25 - Fine Silver Ultra-High Relief – Sculptural Art of Parliament

Grotesque Horned Green Man

The horned variation of the Green Man on your coin is much more common on North American Gothic Revival structures than on their European counterparts. Their horned projections vary from short or long straight horns and curled ram's horns to antlers and even large tree branches emerging from the Green Man's forehead. The source of this imagery may lie with pre-Christian nature deities such as the Celts' Cernunnos, the Greeks' Pan, and the Egyptian goddess Hathor, but one should not discount the role of the carver's sense of humour or delight in the macabre. The horned Green Man's popularity seems to have grown in tandem with Victorians' rising preoccupation with the occult, which is perhaps not surprising given that the horned man or horned god has long been associated with supernatural power.

Specifications
No. 153361
Mintage 4000
Composition 99.99% pure silver
Finish proof
Weight (g) 30.75
Diameter (mm) 36
Edge plain
Certificate serialized
Face value 25 dollars
Artist Phillip White (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)