The last of the four seasons are showcased as Art Mint wraps up its attractive series

With a name like ‘Four Seasons’, it’s pretty clear what Art Mints premium silver coin series is all about. A series of four two-ounce silver coins designed by artist Miroslav Hric, each focuses on the way nature reacts to the changing climate as the year progresses. We’ve already seen Spring and Summer and now Art Mint has rounded out the set with the debut of Autumn and Winter.

As before, each coin has a coloured crystal embedded in its centre, coloured to hint at the different look to the sun you would associate with the season depicted. Autumn has a deep orange coloured crystal that reflects the autumnal colours that permeate nature at this time of the year. Winter has an ice white crystal – the symbolism obvious. Each crystal sits in a relief ‘starburst’.

Autumn is a time of much activity in the forests as creatures great and small get ready for the winter that is to follow. The coin is a hive of activity with the tree branches full of fruit and berries with birds and insects feasting upon them. Falling leaves hint at what is about to come and the whole thing is packed full of detail. There’s plenty of relief giving a nice show of depth to the finished artwork and the 50mm diameter gives space for it to breathe.

Winter by contrast, cuts back on the complexity – all the better for getting across the realities of the harshest season. The trees are almost bare and covered with ice and there are snowflakes in the sky. A mated pair of birds seek warmth from each other. It’s here you can see how effective just changing the colour of the crystal can be.

If you haven’t noticed yet, each of the four coins depicts the same piece of tree with the changes the different seasons have upon life within its window. It’s a very cool concept and one I don’t remember seeing elsewhere. This would make a very attractive set of four coins and a frame that holds them all would be pretty welcome we’d imagine.

Packaging is decent enough, however. A good quality wooden box inside a lightly themed shipper that also holds a certificate of authenticity. The serial number is also etched into the edge of the coin. The obverse is a basic effigy of Queen Elizabeth II – exactly as you’d expect for a Niue issue. Available to order now, these sell in the €250-300 range, so not a cheap and cheerful range, but another of those that cements Art Mint as the producer of some quite exquisite releases. The first coin has already sold out and we’d imagine the others will follow.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $5 New Zealand
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver
WEIGHT 62.2 grams
DIAMETER 50.00 mm
FINISH Proof
MODIFICATIONS Crystal insert, High relief, Serial no. on edge
MINTAGE 500
BOX / COA Yes / Yes