Front: “Memento Mori” (remember that you will die) · “Tempus edax rerum” (time, devourer of all things)
Back: “We come with nothing, fight for everything, and in the end we leave everything and go with nothing.”
At a glance
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Theme: what we chase, and what we can't take with us
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Good for: burnout, long work seasons, a promotion, a reset of priorities
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Gift for: the hard worker, the founder, someone retiring after a long career
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Finishes: Antique Bronze (brass alloy), Antique Copper (solid copper)
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Size: 39 mm, about 1 oz, die struck in the USA
The meaning
Most of us spend our best years chasing something: money, a title, a bigger house. The back of this coin says out loud what everyone knows and few act on. We arrive with nothing, we fight for everything, and when it ends, all of it stays behind.
The front adds two Latin reminders. Memento mori, remember that you will die. Tempus edax rerum, time the devourer of all things, a line from the Roman poet Ovid. Together they ask a practical question: if none of it comes with you, what is worth the fight?
The design
On the front, a line of small human figures winds in a spiral toward the center, a whole life told in one path, with Memento Mori around the rim. On the back, a cross stands at the center and the quote runs around it in rings, framed by two small hourglasses.
On good days and hard days
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On good days, it reminds you to enjoy the rewards of your work with the people you love.
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On hard days, when work swallows everything, it brings perspective back: we come with nothing and leave with nothing, so make the time count.
Carry it
It is a good pocket coin for anyone who works too much. Touch it before you answer one more late email, or before you skip dinner with your family again. One customer wrote that their coin had already darkened nicely after a week in a pocket, and that they bought a second one for a good friend.
Give it
It suits the person who never stops: a parent working two jobs, a founder, a colleague heading into retirement. The message is a kind one. It does not tell them to stop working; it reminds them what the work is for.
Specs
- Diameter: 1.54 in (39 mm), about the size of a silver dollar
- Thickness: 2.7 mm
- Weight: about 1 oz (28 g)
- Material: brass alloy (Antique Bronze) or solid copper (Antique Copper)
- Made: die struck, minted in the USA
- Each coin is antiqued with a special patina so it looks like it has already been in circulation. The patina never settles the same way twice, so no two coins look exactly alike. Small variations in color and shading are normal, and they are what make your coin one of a kind.
Questions
What does tempus edax rerum mean?
“Time, devourer of all things.” It comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses and is a classic memento mori phrase.
How is it different from the Memento Mori Coin?
The Memento Mori Coin is about using today well. The Life Spiral Coin is about what we chase: possessions, status and money, and the fact that none of it comes with us.
What gift reminds a workaholic what matters?
A small object they carry every day works better than advice. This coin's back says it plainly: we leave everything and go with nothing.
Other coins on the same theme
Care: keep it dry and wipe it with a soft cloth. No polishing needed; the aged finish is part of the look.
Original design by EDC Reminder Coins, protected by copyright. We don't take custom orders.
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