The Twelve Olympians in the Zodiac - Hera & Aquarius Samoa 0.20 $ 2022 Gold plated Copper/Nickel coin

Face value: 5 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 62,2 g
Quality: Antiqefinish
Diameter: 45 mm
Mintage: 999

The second release in an interesting, thought provoking new series, this coin depicts the Greek Goddess, Aphrodite.

A twelve issue set, the Twelve Olympians of the Zodiac considers which of the traditional star signs coincide with the Gods of Olympus of Ancient Greece. For Aphrodite it is easy, for she is also known as the Roman goddess Venus, and Venus is the planetary ruler of Taurus!

According to some astrologists, those born under the sign of Taurus love pleasure! They know how to enjoy life, and are sure to make the most of every moment - just like the Goddess Aphrodite!

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Scorpio is the second Mars sign, and the one that most relates to Ares: while the fiery aspects of Aries might relate to him to some extent, it’s the more emotional Scorpio that resonates closer to him and his primal nature. As the later Autumn sign, Scorpio is related to Winter’s start, and thus to sunset-like conditions: as the Sun dims, so does life. Scorpio is defined by it’s loyalty bordering on possessiveness, as well as a rather strong impulsive nature but consciously made subtle or even outright hidden. Ares displays a surprising amount of loyalty to his family, even when most of Olympus doesn’t like him very much, and while numerous, his affairs are occult, unlike Zeus’ or Apollo’s. This reflects water as darkness: driven by strong impulses, but with the element of mystery and hidden nature. Due to Scorpio’s vindictiveness and hidden nature, it is often considered the most malign of the signs, just as Ares is the most distrusted of the Olympians, but neither are “evil” and while unpleasant they are necessary for the inner workings of nature. Darkness is after all important to health in it’s Melatonin friendliness, especially when it’s connected to water.

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Artemis still remains intrinsic to the Sagittarius sign to this day: after all, who among the Olympians is the archer goddess, associated with the forests and the primeval might of the centaur? Like her brother Apollo, Artemis is a goddess of fiery arrows, illuminating the darkness and destroying those who offend her, and her role in this department might even be more relevant than her brother's. Sagittarius is also the first sign of the night as the beginning of the winter, relating to Artemis' intrinsic nature as a goddess of moonlight. The association of Sagittarius with Artemis also relates to her cult's rivalry with primitive Christianity: Sagittarius is the sign of truth and knowledge, and Artemis is the light bearer.

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Hephaestus‘ correspondence with Libra is derived from his role as the smith god. By crafting fire, he made the weapons that the gods use to impose justice, down to the scales of Dike, the goddess of justice, often thought to be the woman depicted in the sign. As just, Hephaestus is a god of innovation, taming the chaos of the flames to produce items to impose civilization.

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm
Mintage: 3000

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Hestia's main sign if Capricorn, which stresses her more subtle but relevant nature. Capricorn, like Sagittarius, also stresses order, stability and stoicness. More so, it takes theses traits further and is a sign associated with practicality, hard work, strong will and stubbornness. Hestia, as the perpetual tender of the flames, is definitely a very hard working and practical goddess, and while I by no means would refer to her as “stubborn”, she does have a strong will in what little myths she appears in. Capricorn is also relevant in it’s role in the Zodiac. It’s the sign that covers the Winter Solstice, when the Sun is at it’s lowest, being opposite to Cancer. Thus, not only does it coincide with the time of the year where Hestia’s influence is most important, as well as to her role as the center, it also coincides with a liminal time in the Zodiac, when the Sun is reborn.

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Poseidon, as the god of water and of the sea, is the lord of sea creatures, so the sign of the pair of fish is more than appropriate. Pisces, however, also dives deeper in Poseidon’s realm. For starters, it is associated with the feet, and Poseidon is also a god of the earth, of tremors and geological processes, closely tied to water eroding rocks. The sea is also considered to be where the pillars of the universe are located in most western Eurasian religions, and in Greek thought Poseidon’s realm extends even to the Underworld, where the four rivers run, a connection particularly important in the more chthonic versions of Hellenic religion. If Cancer is the Moon and it’s spiritual essence while Scorpio is blood and the impulses, with Aquarius also representing sky waters, Pisces is simply the pure nature of water as an element, symbolizing the immensity of the seas and the many freshwater bodies. It’s the sign of mutability and change, resonating with water’s classical attribute as well as the very real quick and natural changes into ice, liquid, gas or cloud and also the currents. It also symbolizes Spring waters, be them from rains or melting snow and ice, feeding the fields and civilization, acting as water changing the surrounding environment.

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

As the King of the gods, Zeus‘ connection with Leo is appropriate as it is the "king of the Zodiac signs". The connection gains a lot more weight in mythology: Zeus is closely associated with Helios, perhaps even more so than Apollo, as Helios is referred as "the eye of Zeus" and is referred as Zeus in his own Orphic hymn. Aether (the primordial light that illumines the Heavens) is "Zeus' power", and his role as the god of civilization, justice and law is very similar to that of sun gods like Shamash and Ra (Apollo also shares these traits, as he too is a god of justice and law). Zeus is outright referred as the Sun in some particular Greco-roman religious traditions like Pythagorean philosophy, where he is the supramundane Sun of the Olympians.As the Sun symbolizes the center, so is Leo's position in the Zodiac indicative.

Metal: NordicGold
Weight: 15,80 g
Diameter: 34 mm
Mintage: 10 000

In 2022, Smiley celebrates its fifth decade of smiles and optimism.

The emblematic yellow, round face of the brand was born on 1st, January 1972 in France, when journalist Franklin Loufrani used this infectious smile in the newspaper France-soir in order to highlight stories which brought positive news and cheered up French people’s spirit. This operation, called « Take the time to smile » was an immediate success.

In 1996, the logo is relaunched and developed in other forms : a new 3D version is created and new expressions are added in. Nowadays, from the smiley to the emoticon, smiling takes multiple forms, becoming a representative of cheerfulness !

Since the creation of the yellow smile in 1972, Smiley diversified the range of its expressions, conveying over a hundred émotions. From the smiley to the emoticon, smiling takes multiple forms.

Each mini-medal highlights a particular emotion : love, gratitude, gluttony, joy and laughing.

The medals are packaged in a coloured packaging, to treat to someone or to yourself.

Quality: Uncirculated
Face Value: 10 Euro
Diameter: 32 mm
Material: Copper
Total Weight: 15 g
Mintage: 130 000
Without capsule


In England the peony is sometimes referred to as the ‘rose royale’ and the Chinese word for peony means ‘the most beautiful’. Peonies have been painted by many European artists and the opulent beauty of the peony has long been a popular subject in Chinese and Japanese literature, painting and decoration. A Chinese legend has it that a capricious empress commanded all the flowers in her garden to blossom at the same time. All acquiesced apart from the peony. Annoyed by the flower’s refusal, the empress banished it to the coldest reaches of the empire, yet despite the inhospitable environment, the peony thrived. The empress, duly impressed, allowed the peony to return, declaring it the ‘queen of all flowers’.

Face value: Samoa 0,25$
Weight: 47 gr
Diameter: 40 mm
Mintage: 3 000

The tawny owl (Strix aluco), also called the brown owl, is commonly found in woodlands across Europe to western Siberia, and has seven recognized subspecies. It is a stocky, medium-sized owl, whose underparts are pale with dark streaks, and whose upper body may be either brown or grey. (In several subspecies, individuals may be of either color.) The tawny owl typically makes its nest in a tree hollow where it can protect its eggs and young against potential predators. It is non-migratory and highly territorial: as a result, when young birds grow up and leave the parental nest, if they cannot find a vacant territory to claim as their own, they will often starve

Issuing Country: France
Face value: 5 €
Metal: Copper/Nickel
Diameter: 29 mm
Quality: B.U.
Mintage: 25 000

The wheel of the zodiac signs is engraved on the coin's gold-colored crown. One sign stands out from the background because it is larger than the others and has a sandblasted background, different from the smoother one of the others. It is the symbol of the Virgo. The main feature of the engraving is the bust of a woman whose long hair is topped with a crown of flowers. She is gazing over her shoulder with an air of mystery. Around her, a backdrop of leaves, mushrooms and crystals recalls the element of the sign, earth. In the background, a starry sky features the constellation of Virgo

Face value: Samoa 0,25$
Weight: 40gr
Diameter: 40 mm
Mintage: 6666

Proof copper coin with partial gold plating

In East Asian Buddhism, the Twelve Heavenly Generals or Twelve Divine Generals are the protective deities.