Archimedes' Screw Celebrated in Final Coin of Ancient Greek Technology Series

Greece continues its Ancient Greek Technology series of coins with a third and final issue celebrating Archimedes’ screw.

This new Proof .925 fine silver €10 coin follows the coins for the Antikythera Mechanism and the Automatic Maid of Philo of Byzantium.

Archimedes’ screw, a form of positive-displacement pump for raising water, was allegedly invented by the ancient Greek scientist Archimedes for removing water from the hold of a large ship. A positive-displacement pump traps fluid from a source and then forces the fluid to move to a discharge location.

Archimedes of Syracuse was born in the 3rd century B.C. He was one of the most important inventors of his time.

The king requested that Archimedes build the biggest ship possible. This ship proved to be leaky, and Archimedes had to invent a device to remove water from it. He designed what we now call Archimedes’ screw, which proved very effective and only requires one person to operate.

The Archimedes screw was also used to transport water from low-lying areas up to irrigation ditches. The design is so effective that it is still in use today. For instance, it is used to lift wastewater in water treatment plants and even to lift water in some amusement park rides. It’s a tool that has never gone out of style.

The obverse features a rendering of the Archimedes screw, and the reverse depicts a common design for the series (with gears, bolts, and other mechanical objects) along with the denomination and nation’s name.

The coin weighs 34.1 grams and measures 40 millimetres in diameter. Its mintage limit is 2,000 pieces, which retail for $127.55 each from U.S.-based distributor Royal Scandinavian Mint.

To order or learn more, visit the firm’s website, www.rsmint.com.