ImaginArt Publishing presents the Alexandra Nechita Catalog
PEACE IS THE ONLY OPTION: A commemorative proof set of legal tender coins
In order to help you be more informed about the market for rare coins and bullion, we have prepared a series of short articles.
Released April, 2005
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The art on this page is available for purchase. Please click an image to see larger views and sales information. Believe it or not, it has been more than 10 years since that 9 year-old prodigy the world has come to know as Alexandra Nechita first burst onto the scene. Today, Alexandra is a stunningly beautiful art major at UCLA. Over those ten years, Alexandra's passion for her art has never diminished. In fact, it has grown to even greater levels of inspiration. Her continuing creative genius is evidenced by her mastery over several new artistic disciplines. Indeed, Alexandra is now creating sculpture that is being called a breakthrough! She has recently succeeded at translating her abstract forms into bas reliefs and her works in glass are simply breathtaking. In all of Alexandra's work there is one common and repeating theme: PEACE!The word "peace" has become somewhat cliche and is certainly used far too lightly. Sadly, it seems as if we live in a time when peace seems to be a near impossibility. It is for that reason that Alexandra has re-doubled her commitment to use her artistic gift to promote peace throughout the world. Here are just a few recent examples of that commitment: Alexandra has been named Ambassador of Peace through Art by the United Nations. She recently completed work on her first public monument — a bronze monolith that towers some 10 feet, entitled LET THERE BE PEACE! As a tribute to her tireless efforts towards peace and charity, Orange County, California's newest Performing Art Center at Orange Lutheran High School was named The Alexandra Nechita Art & Cultural Center! (Alexandra was 17 years old at the time of the Center's dedication). Alexandra was named Official Artist of the 2004 World Peace Music Awards. And in perhaps one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed upon an artist (particularly one who is still a teenager), Alexandra Nechita has been commissioned to create and design a set of legal tender coins commemorating her message of peace. Alexandra has named the designs PEACE IS THE ONLY OPTION. 
The Coins Were Quickly Approved by Queen Elizabeth IIBecause all legal tender coins of the British Government have to be approved by Her Majesty, and because Her effigy is on the obverse of all British coins, the Queen is understandably strict with her consent to a new coin design. And yet, Alexandras PEACE IS THE ONLY OPTION set of coins sailed through the approval process. Each PEACE IS THE ONLY OPTION coin set includes three separate coins. The first is of a one-ounce (.9999) pure silver coin, the second is a one-ounce (.9999) pure gold coin and the third is a half-ounce (.9999) pure platinum coin. There is no higher level of purity possible! Each coin is legal tender (unlike a medallion). Accordingly, it is recognized as legal coin of the realm. Each coin is struck four times to flawless, proof standards and then encapsulated in a sealed acrylic holder. Each holder is then encased in its own plush velvet setting within a specially designed, hand-rubbed rich leather case. The display presentation of this set of commemorative coins is truly magnificent. Unusual Risk Reversal ProtectionAgain, considering that gold, silver and platinum appear to be steady at their current levels and that these are the first works in numismatics by one of our most renowned artists, it seems logical that demand will be constant. Because we believe that, if you acquire one or more of these sets and then for any reason whatsoever you change your mind or decide to send one or more back, we'll happily accept it. In fact, every PEACE IS THE ONLY OPTION Commemorative Legal Tender Coin Set by Alexandra Nechita comes with a complete 100% no questions asked money back guarantee — not for 10 days or even 30 days but for 365 days! Thank you for reading this long but, we think, tremendously important message. We sincerely hope you are one of the handful who end up owning at least one PEACE IS THE ONLY OPTION Commemorative Legal Tender Coin Set by Alexandra Nechita. — ImaginArt Publishing |
 Mint plaster (approximately 12" in diameter) of Alexandra's design The Work BeginsUndaunted by the fact that she had never worked in this area before (designing coins is a difficult and painstaking task for even the most experienced artists), Alexandra began by first creating drawings for the coins. When she was satisfied with the drawings, she began working with the mint's artisans to create a 12" plaster that would eventually produce the coin dies. Once they had the plaster just right, the problems were seemingly over. But one more hurdle remained. You see, it was Alexandra's dream that the PEACE IS THE ONLY OPTION set of commemorative coins contain all three of the key precious metals: gold, silver and platinum. This was Alexandra's symbolic way of expressing that all the worlds people dream of peace, from all races and all religions. The gold and silver coins presented no problem since coinage in these metals has existed for 4000 years. Platinum is an entirely different story. Platinum is an extremely dense metal. It is so hard that when used in coinage, the dies almost always crack. The problem was compounded further because Alexandra designed the coins to have extremely high relief areas. In order to achieve such high reliefs and produce a cameo appearance, each coin would have to be struck at least twice (placing even more stress on the dies). It is only due to months of testing, experimentation, trial and error that the answer was found. A thin liquid diamond polish brushed on the die made multiple strikes of each coin possible. The results are truly beautiful to behold! The watery fields, frosted reliefs and mirror-like finishes are the equal of any coin ever struck. Needless to say, the coins passed the scrutiny of the artist and the mint master. However, there was one final approval needed. 
Alexandra Nechita: One of the Most Collectible Artists In the WorldPerhaps you've seen Alexandra's work hanging in top art galleries located all over the world including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris and Tokyo. Alexandra's work is collected by sophisticated art connoisseurs, celebrities and average collectors who for years have appreciated her unique ability to evoke such inspiration and happiness in her work. If you're curious to learn just how strong Alexandra's market is, may we suggest you perform a little exercise: Call any of the dozens of galleries across the U.S. that carry Alexandra's work and ask them to give you a current quote (you can also find numerous quotes on the Internet). You'll find that her works-in-print sell furiously between $3,000 and $10,000 while her original sculptures range between $25,000 to $62,000. You'll also find that her original paintings command prices ranging from $60,000 of $175,000. We think you'll conclude that collecting these historic, rare and precious coin sets at our relatively modest introductory price is both prudent and sound. Art Market StrongIt isn't just works by Alexandra that are enjoying strong demand. A November, 2004 article in the Wall Street Journal pointed out that works of fine art are being seen by major banks as "an alternative asset class!"Guaranteed RarityPerhaps the most important factor regarding these precious heirlooms is their guaranteed rarity — only 5,000 sets will be ever be struck! After that, the dies will be defaced. In the world of numismatics (rare coins), a mintage of 5,000 is almost infinitesimal. For example, the 1907 St. Gaudens high relief Double Eagle is one of the rarest coins in the world. In pristine condition, a single specimen would command upwards of one million dollars at auction. That coin had a mintage of 11,000! Built-In Intrinsic ValueDon't forget that a substantial percentage of the price for these artistic treasures is made up of the actual melt value of the precious metals themselves. On November 17, 2004 Gold posted a 16-year high when it broke above the $440 an ounce mark. Gold is up 70% from its recent $258 low. In summary, the PEACE IS THE ONLY OPTION Commemorative Coin Sets creates a fascinating convergence of four very powerful values:
That's why we call this a Grand Slam Opportunity! Remember, it is an opportunity that only a couple of thousand collectors will actually be able to take advantage of (our average order is five to ten sets). Incidentally, every set comes with an Official Certificate of Authenticity from the mint attesting to the edition number and mintage of the sets, as well as to the purity of the precious metals. |
