2010 Cook Isl. $20 Silver Proof Coin "Sunflowers"

• Mint: B.H. Meyer's
• Denomination: $20
• Quality: Proof
• Issue limit: 1,889 pcs.
• Alloy: 99.9% Fine Silver
• Artist: Vincent Van Gogh
• Diameter: 2.16 inches - 55.00 mm
• Weight: 3 Ounces - 93.3 grams
• Box/Capsule: Yes/Yes
• Certificate: Yes

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ITEM IS NOT IN STOCK, BUT IS MARKED AS SUCH FOR ORDERING PURPOSES. ORDERS ARE ACCEPTED NOW AND DELIVERY WILL BE IN MARCH 2010. THERE IS A $50 NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT PER COIN THAT WILL APPLY AT PURCHASE.

This issue is part of a series of 3 ounce Swarovski crystal insert silver coins with beautiful pad color printing of classical masterpieces.

Vincent Willem van Gogh (March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter whose work had a far-reaching influence on 20th century art for its vivid colors and emotional impact. He suffered from anxiety and increasingly frequent bouts of mental illness throughout his life, and died largely unknown at the age of 37 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

It was August, the sunflowers were blooming, and Van Gogh desperately wanted to capture them in a series of 12 pictures. Because the flowers wilted so quickly, he worked on his canvases every day. He painted the series to decorate the room where Paul Gauguin would stay when he arrived in Arles. He chose this subject because his friend had previously admired his paintings of sunflowers run to seed. In the end, Vincent executed four sunflower still-lifes; however, he felt only two were good enough to hang in Gauguin’s bedroom. He was later to paint three copies of them, one of which is the version in the Van Gogh Museum.