Front: “Audentes Fortuna Iuvat” (fortune favors the bold) · “Non desistas, non exieris” (never give up, never surrender)
Back: “Every man is the architect of his own fortune.”
At a glance
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Theme: the leap, betting on yourself
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Good for: starting a business, a new job, moving abroad, the decision you keep putting off
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Gift for: a founder, a friend moving countries, a new graduate, someone who needs a push
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Finishes: Antique Silver (brass alloy), 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
Virgil wrote audentes fortuna iuvat in the Aeneid, in the voice of a commander rallying his men before battle. Fortune favors the bold. Pliny the Elder is said to have repeated a version of it as he sailed toward Vesuvius in AD 79 to help people trapped by the eruption.
The back answers with a line credited to the Roman statesman Appius Claudius Caecus: faber est suae quisque fortunae, every man is the architect of his own fortune. Together they make a simple deal. Luck helps those who move, and the moving is up to you. The smaller words under the lion, non desistas, non exieris, are a modern Latin motto for never give up, never surrender.
The design
A roaring lion's head fills the front, with the Latin around the rim. On the back, the quote sits at the center of a labyrinth, a fitting picture for a future you build one turn at a time.
This back design also appears on our Equilibrium Coin, Mint Mule Edition, where the mint paired it with the front of the Gratitude Coin.
On good days and hard days
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On good days, it pushes you to take the next bold step instead of resting on what already worked.
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On hard days, when you hesitate or doubt the leap, it reminds you that fortune favors the bold and that you are the architect of your own fortune.
Carry it
Carry it for the moment before you act. One customer who struggles with boldness keeps this design on their keys and looks at it every time they leave the house. Another told us their coins replaced the habit of glancing at the phone: they reach for the coin instead.
Give it
It makes a strong gift for a founder, a new job or a big move. One customer awarded it as a challenge coin and told the recipient he could pass it on to another deserving person. He decided to keep it. Another bought one for a friend, then one for themselves.
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 Silver, 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 audentes fortuna iuvat mean?
“Fortune favors the bold.” Luck tends to help people who act with courage.
Is it iuvat or juvat?
Both spellings are correct. Classical Latin had no letter J, so iuvat is the older form; juvat appears in later texts.
Who said fortune favors the bold?
Versions appear in Terence, in Virgil's Aeneid (audentes fortuna iuvat) and in the account of Pliny the Elder's last voyage. It was a well known Roman proverb.
Other coins you might like
For keys: Audentes Fortuna Iuvat Key Tag.
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.
