Egypt. Exquisite Gold and Silver Coin Collection Marks Official Opening of Grand Egyptian Museum

Issued to mark the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum – GEM, the project represents one of Egypt’s most significant and ambitious cultural landmarks. Now completed in terms of construction, which was awarded to the Belgian company Besix, the GEM is the world’s largest museum dedicated to ancient Egyptian civilisation. After a quarter-century of planning and construction, The Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi officially inaugurated and opened the doors of the Grand Egyptian Museum on the 2^nd November which was attended by crowned heads of state, presidents and other dignitaries. Built on 500,000 square metres or 50 hectares, the museum houses over 57,000 artefacts tracing Egypt’s history across the millennia but will be expanded to more than 100,000 items once many artefacts are transferred from the old national Museum in Cairo. At a cost of just over $1.2 billion dollars, the initial opening, scheduled for 2012 was repeatedly delayed by financial mishaps, the Arab Spring political crisis in 2011 and by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The immense complex was designed by Heneghan Peng Architects, a Dublin-based firm founded in 1999 by Róisín Heneghan and Shih-Fu Peng. The company specialises in architecture, landscape, urban design and innovative projects. It was their eye-catching design which relied on the history of the pyramids as the focal point of the buildings constructed to blend in with the overall location. The museum is located just 2 kilometres from the Giza Plateau, offering visitors a unique panoramic experience that combines the stunning pyramids with the museum's magnificent exhibits. Aside from the main exhibition halls, the museum includes open courtyards, an entertainment and commercial area, a restoration centre and a world-class research centre to be an integrated project that combines culture and education. After the official opening, the GEM is expected to welcome around 5 million visitors annually.

The gold and silver proof quality coins are produced by the General Egyptian Treasury and Mint Authority at their facilities in Cairo on behalf of the Egyptian Ministry of Finance. All obverse and reverse motifs depicted were created by the Mint Authority’s team of designers, headed by sculptor Ahmed Kamal Farag, engineers and technicians in line with international quality standards. Each of the six denominations in the new series shares the same design on both gold and silver strikes. Each obverse side of the six denominations feature a unique design relevant to the distinctive architectural and archaeological elements of the GEM. All coins will also be issued with a numbered certificate of authenticity printed on traditional papyrus paper with a depiction of the Ramses statue providing historical background and technical details, prepared in coordination with the GEM’s CEO Ahmed Ghoneim.

The obverse side of each design includes the commemorative text OPENING OF THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM shown in English which is placed above the primary design along the rim. Below the design is the same commemorative inscription placed along the lower rim and shown in Arabic script. Each design includes the years 2025 and ٢٠٢٥.

1 Pound – Depicted on the obverse side is the distinctive pyramid-shaped entrance of the Grand Egyptian Museum of Cairo. The triangular, spacious foyer is clad in glass and laser-cut limestone with a sloping roof that aligns with the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Menkaure. This architectural design is inspired by the ancient Egyptian pyramids and is intended to create a symbolic connection between the museum and its world-famous neighbours at the Giza plateau. The 3,200-year-old towering statue of the warrior king, Ramses II, standing 36 feet in height and weighing in at 183,000 pounds, stands in the entrance way of the new Grand Egyptian Museum and is portrayed on the 10 Pound coin.

5 Pounds – Featured on the obverse side is an image of the Hanging Obelisk, also known as the Tower of Ascendance, traces its roots back to the ancient civilization of Xantheria, a once-thriving empire renowned for its architectural achievements. Built to honour the sun god Ra approximately 2000 years ago, the obelisk stands at an astounding height of 150 meters or, 492 feet which was one of the tallest structures of its time. The obelisk’s suspended position is achieved through a series of intricate mechanisms and counterweights ingeniously concealed within its core. It is located adjacent to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

10 Pounds – The statue of Pharaoh Ramses II, is a colossal 3200 year-old figure depicting him standing. It weighs 83 tonnes of red granite and stands at 11 meters or 36 feet in height. The statue was discovered in 1820, broken into six pieces, at Mit Rahina near ancient Memphis, Egypt where it lay for several decades. In 1955, the fragments were moved to a large public Square in Cairo where one of the Metro’s railway stations were named after the statue. The statue was moved again out of concern for its preservation in 2006 and after many years of restorative work, the colossus was moved in 2018 and finally another 400 metres to its current location which is in the entrance hall of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

25 Pounds – Featured on the obverse side is the solar boat of ancient Egypt more commonly known as the Khufu ship, a 4500-year-old cedar-wood vessel discovered in 1954 near the Great Pyramid of Giza. Believed to be a funerary boat for the pharaoh Khufu, its purpose was symbolic as it allowed him to travel through the afterlife in the same way the sun god Ra was thought to journey across the sky in his own solar barque.  It was sealed into a chasm alongside the Great Pyramid of pharaoh Khufu around 2500 BC. The intact ship was meticulously reassembled and is now displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum.

50 Pounds – Shown on the obverse side is an image of the colossus statue of the kneeling statue of Queen Hatshepsut making an offering of Nu vases. Hatshepsut was the elder daughter of the 18th Dynasty King Thutmose I and his consort Ahmose She ruled ancient Egypt for over 20 years and managed to attain unprecedented power for a woman. Married to her half-brother Thutmose II, he inherited his father’s throne about 1492 BC with Hatshepsut as his consort. With his death in 1479 BC, the throne passed to his son Thutmose III, born to Isis, a consort of lower birth. As the boy was still an infant, Hatshepsut acted as regent for the young king, ultimately adopting the full titles and regalia of a king including the wearing of the traditional kilt, crown or head-cloth, and false beard. She is depicted in this statue kneeling and having taken on the appearance of a pharaoh.

100 Pounds – Gold mask of Tutankhamun, perhaps one of the world’s most recognisable artefacts of antiquity and greatest works in gold with inlays of lapis lazuli, carnelian, obsidian, turquoise, and coloured glass. The burial tomb of the Pharaoh was discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1925 in the Valley of the Kings. The mask, weighing 22.5 pounds or, 10.23 kilograms of pure gold was placed over the head and shoulders of the pharaoh's mummy to symbolise his divine status in the afterlife. The mask is now a featured display in the King Tutankhamun's Treasures annex, a specially constructed portion of the GEM which will for the first time present all 5,398 artefacts from King Tutankhamun's tomb together with his ornate coffin.

The reverse side of each denomination depicts the official logo for the Grand Egyptian Museum centred with the name of the issuing country ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT placed above the logo along the upper rim in Arabic script. The denomination in جنيهاً (Egyptian pounds) is placed below along the lower rim in Arabic script. The years ١٤٤٧ (1445) and ٢٠٢٥ (2025) are shown to the left and right of the logo placed along the rim.

The release date and points of sale were announced to coincide with the museum’s official opening. The Finance Ministry confirmed that the new commemorative coins will be available for purchase immediately following the official opening ceremony of the museum.

They will also be available at outlets of the Mint Authority, the Public Treasury, and the retail store of the GEM, as well as through online reservations on the Mint Authority’s website and the Ministry of Finance’s website.