2011 Cook Isl. $10 Silver Proof Coin "Notre Dame"

• Mint: B.H. Meyer's
• Denomination: $10
• Quality: Prooflike
• Issue limit: 2,000 pcs.
• Alloy: 92.5% Fine Silver
• Diameter: 1.97 inches - 50.00 mm
• Weight: 1.5 Ounces - 50 grams
• Box/Capsule: Yes/Yes
• Certificate: Yes

This issue is the third in a series of silver coins called Windows of Heaven featuring full-color stained glass inserts from famous churches and cathedrals around the world. Held up against the light, the window will become translucent and show the intricate design in full splendor.

Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) is a 12th century Gothic cathedral situated on the Île de la Cité in Paris, France. Notre Dame is widely considered one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in Europe, and the naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass artworks contrast earlier Romanesque architecture. The cathedral suffered great desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. An extensive restoration returned the cathedral close to its “original” state. The cathedral treasury houses a reliquary with the purported Crown of Thorns.

The reverse features a stained glass insert of the cathedral’s South Rose Window, dedicated to the New Testament and visible from both sides of the coin. Designed by Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil, it was a gift from the king Saint Louis. The reverse also features an image of the structure seen from the outside, its name as an inscription, as well as a floor plan of the cathedral. The series’ common obverse features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. The coin is delivered encapsulated in a jewel case with a Certificate of Authenticity.