Molon Labe

Afternoon everyone….

Today I am going to share a piece with you, yet again from the Intaglio Mint. Every time that I get an order from them, I am always fascinated by the immense detail they are able to capture on such a small silver round.

This round is part of their “Molon Labe” series. Which over the years now has become quite immense.

Four years ago our lovely government required all businesses regardless of the state they were in to collect the sales taxes for each and every state they sold merchandise to.

Well….

With the Intaglio Mint being such a small privately owned mint. This was a huge undertaking. At that time they didn’t not have the man power or the means to accomplish this requirement by the government and decided to only sell to dealers or businesses with a tax ID number.

So their items became way over priced by the monopolizing bullion dealers.

For over two years now they are back to running as normal and I’m so glad they are.

The piece shown today is a Molon Labe round with a Spartan riding a horse while in combat.

The detail is quite amazing.

And for you that would like a little information about the meaning and origin of Molon Labe. Below is a snipit from Wikipedia.

Molon labe (Ancient Greek: μολὼν λαβέ, romanized: molṑn labé), meaning 'come and take [them]', is a classical expression of defiance. It is among the Laconic phrases reported by Plutarch, attributed to King Leonidas I in reply to the demand by Xerxes I that the Spartans surrender their weapons. The exchange between Leonidas and Xerxes occurs in writing, on the eve of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC).

As for its origin:

Plutarch cites the phrase in his Apophthegmata Laconica ("Sayings of Spartans"). The exchange between Leonidas and Xerxes occurs in writing, on the eve of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC):

πάλιν δὲ τοῦ Ξέρξου γράψαντος 'πέμψον τὰ ὅπλα,' ἀντέγραψε 'μολὼν λαβέ.'

When Xerxes wrote again, 'Hand over your arms,' he wrote in reply, 'Come and take them.' (trans. Frank Cole Babbitt, 1931)
The exchange is cited in a collection of sayings by Leonidas before the Battle of Thermopylae (51.2–15).

The main source for the events of the battle is Herodotus. According to his account, the Spartans held Thermopylae for three days, and although ultimately defeated, they inflicted serious damage on the Persian army. Most importantly, this delayed the Persians' progress to Athens, providing sufficient time for the city's evacuation to the island of Salamis. Though a tactical defeat, Thermopylae served as a strategic and moral victory, inspiring the Greek forces to defeat the Persians at the Battle of Salamis later the same year and the Battle of Plataea one year later.

Now for the round…..