Il genio di Michelangelo 

The Genius of Michelangelo

in sterling silver and solid platinum

A historically significant series of sixty fine art medals, commemorating the 500th anniversary of Michelangelo's birth

 HALLMARKED FIRST EDITION PROOF SETS AVAILABLE BY ADVANCE SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

 Limit: one proof set per subscriber • Subscription rolls close February 28,1970

FORTUNATE indeed is the man or woman who, in shifting and uncertain times, possesses an acknowledged work of art. For, as astute collectors and connoisseurs well know, the value of great art steadily increases no matter how the winds of change may blow. Among the world's enduring art treasures, few are valued more highly than the extraordinary works wrung by Michelangelo from his agonized heart and soul.

 Although nearly five tumultuous centuries have passed since he gave the world his Pietà, his David, his Moses, his Dying Slave, his Allegories of the Medici, and his Sistine Chapel frescoes with their monumental Story of Creation and Redemption ... Michelangelo's art still expresses, with undiminished power, the innermost yearnings and ideals of man. For experts and laymen alike, Michelangelo remains the most nearly universal artist who ever lived. How fitting, then, that on the eve of the Quincentennial of Michelangelo's birth, the masterpieces of this genius of all time should be the subject of a new and unique series of art masterpieces to be created in our time ... a set of 60 fine art medals reflecting the inspiration of Michelangelo's greatest works, chosen by a distinguished Board of Advisors: Dr. Charles de Tolnay, Director of the Casa Buonarroti and author of a six-volume study of Michelangelo. Dr. Umberto Baldini, Curator of Sculpture for the Uffizi Gallery. Dr. Charles Morgan, Chairman of the Fine Arts Department at Amherst University and author of "The Life of Michelangelo." Dr. Robert J. Clements, New York University Professor and author of "Michelangelo's Theory of Art." Dr. Roberto Salvini, Professor at the University of Florence and a specialist on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

A Treasure of Fine Medallic Art Now, with The Genius of Michelangelo, the art of the medal reaches a towering peak of achievement. Clearly, this limited First Edition of 60 fine art medals is destined to become a prized possession among connoisseurs, art enthusiasts and investors. On exquisite art such as this, great collections have been founded, treasured legacies begun. The Franklin Mint, which has conceived this remarkable series of art medals, is the foremost contemporary inheritor of the time-honored tradition of fine medaliic art. It has been joined in this magnificent undertaking by the great medaliic craftsmen of John Pinches (Medallists), Ltd., of England and The Wellings Mint of Canada. After sketching the original in the Sistine Chapel, sculptor Piero Monassi perfects an oversize mode! to capture a maximum of detail before reduction to medal size.

To capture the greatness of Michelangelo in medaliic form, the medallists have commissioned the distinguished Italian sculptor Piero Monassi to work on the scene in Florence, Milan and Rome. Just as Michelangelo himself spent nearly five years bent and aching, on the scaffolding below the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, so Piero Monassi will devote virtually all of the next five years sculpturing the bas-relief models from which the dies will be engraved. Strictly Limited First Edition One meticulously crafted medal will be produced each month for the next sixty months. Thus, the entire series will be completed in 1975—five hundred years after the birth of Michelangelo.

Each medal will measure a full 44mm in diameter and will be individually edge-numbered and hallmarked, perpetually certifying its First Edition Proof status. This edition is limited to one set per subscriber, and the subscription rolls will close February 28, 1970, The number of First Edition Proof Sets produced will be exactly equal to the number of advance subscriptions accepted. To further protect the integrity of this First Edition, the specially-identified First Edition dies will be destroyed after this edition is completed. Excellent Investment Potential Your personal First Edition Proof Set of The Genius of Michelangelo will be minted in your choice of Solid Sterling Silver or Solid Platinum. The cost of your medals —$10 each for silver; $1,000 each for platinum—will be protected against price increases for the entire five years, even if the prices of silver or platinum rise to the extent that the bullion content of each medal is worth more than you pay for it.

 Many leading economists believe that both silver and platinum will become increasingly more valuable over the years, and therefore this collection has excellent investment potential for its intrinsic metal content, as well as for its value as limited edition art. To make this unusual price guarantee possible, The Franklin Mint will commit itself—for each subscriber—to purchase, at current prices, a sufficient amount of silver or platinum to cover the complete set of 60 medals. Thus you will benefit from The Franklin Mint's substantial purchasing power and commitment, while being billed for only one medal per month. So, to begin, or to expand, your "private treasury" of fine art in precious metal ... to acquire a limited edition as unique as it is beautiful ... enter your advance subscription application now. Please remember that it must be postmarked no later than February 28, 1970.