Belarus has issued an extensive series of zodiac coins since the mid-2000s, and the mechanical ingenuity here lies in the construction itself: a separate silver filigree figure, gold-plated, floats freely inside a transparent capsule set into the coin's core. The filigree is not decorative trim — it is a discrete, movable object trapped within the flan during the minting process, a technique requiring precise coordination between the capsule fabrication and the striking operation to survive intact.
Belarus has issued an extensive series of zodiac coins since the mid-2000s, and the mechanical ingenuity here lies in the construction itself: a separate silver filigree figure, gold-plated, floats freely inside a transparent capsule set into the coin's core. The filigree is not decorative trim — it is a discrete, movable object trapped within the flan during the minting process, a technique requiring precise coordination between the capsule fabrication and the striking operation to survive intact.