The Colossus of Rhodes — a bronze statue of Helios that may have stood over 30 meters tall — survived only 54 years before an earthquake toppled it around 226 BC. Ancient sources record that the Rhodians received an offer from Ptolemy III to fund its reconstruction, but the Oracle at Delphi reportedly warned against it, and the ruins lay where they fell for nearly nine centuries before Arab forces melted the remains down.
At 0.31 grams of .9999 gold, this is a miniature bullion-curiosity format aimed squarely at collector sets rather than any meaningful store of value — issued posthumously under Elizabeth II's effigy in the year following her death.
The Colossus of Rhodes — a bronze statue of Helios that may have stood over 30 meters tall — survived only 54 years before an earthquake toppled it around 226 BC. Ancient sources record that the Rhodians received an offer from Ptolemy III to fund its reconstruction, but the Oracle at Delphi reportedly warned against it, and the ruins lay where they fell for nearly nine centuries before Arab forces melted the remains down.
At 0.31 grams of .9999 gold, this is a miniature bullion-curiosity format aimed squarely at collector sets rather than any meaningful store of value — issued posthumously under Elizabeth II's effigy in the year following her death.