Pop-culture coins remain as popular as ever in numismatic circles. Here’s a look at a small mix of recent issues from different mints.
Art Mint hits a decade with its iconic Mandala Art series, and there’s a stunning 10th anniversary special edition coin to celebrate
Coin’s Today adds strikingly original new silver coins featuring Iberian ceramic tiles and art carved into a book
The brilliantly anarchic animated series Rick & Morty gets an equally brilliant coin from the Mint of Gdańsk
Mint of MK and The Gold Village take their quirky sense of style to the culinary coin genre with this unusual instant noodle homage
Beauty and the Beast, that classic tale of deep love over superficiality, is brought to life on T&S Coin’s latest silver coin

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QUICKLOOKS

18Apr 24

Coming out of nowhere, Germania Mint kicked off 2024 with a simple two-ounce cast silver bar. On the front of it was a beautiful coloured image of the goddess Freyja. So had debuted ‘Goddesses’, a new series of silver bars, and it was a huge hit, with prices on the secondary market rising dramatically. They followed that up with Sigyn a short while ago, and that sold out as quickly.

We’re not surprised to see the range expand, and the obvious route to that was to feature the gods, an even larger pantheon of potential subjects, and in many cases, household names. However, the series will be capped at six releases, with one launching every two months, just like Goddesses.

These bars are popular because of the artwork – no question. The first god, Baldur, is outstanding, and the equal of either of the Goddesses released to date. We really have to give credit to Germania Mint for the designs, and it’s easy to see why collectors have taken them to heart. We were fortunate to get a sample of Sigyn, and it lives up to expectations. Each bar is packaged in a card box with a COA, and the serial number is engraved on the bar. Only 999 pieces again, so expect these to go quickly. Available to order now.

DENOMINATION	COMPOSITION	DIMENSIONS	FINISH	MINTAGE
Undenominated	62.2 g 0.999 silver	40.13 x 25.07 x 7.5 mm	Coloured, Antiqued	999

where to buy page

16Apr 24

One of the longer running series in Scottsdale Mint’s copious range of bullion coins, the African Leopard debuted in 2017 with a silver coin, and has been issued annually ever since. In 2020, a gold variant was added to the range, also an ounce in weight, and in 2022, the African Leopard title was seemingly dropped in favour of Ghana Leopard, bringing the title more in line with much of Scottsdale’s range.

The designs over the years have varied from neat (2019) to distinctly average (2021), but last year saw an uptick in quality, which we’re pleased to say has been more than maintained for the 2023 issue. It’s a simple portrait, but it exhibits an accurate and aesthetically pleasing look. There’s an unusual pattern in the background, perhaps symbolising the grassland/forest the leopard calls home.

The obverse has changed a little, keeping the leopard-skin pattern and the border, but switching out the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the national coat-of-arms of Ghana. That isn’t surprising given this is a 2023 issue, which was a monarch changeover period. We may see King Charles II on the 2024 release, or they may simply stay with this.

The gold variant has a mintage of just 100 units, and comes boxed with a certificate. The silver tops out at 10,000 pieces, and is encapsulated, with packs of five mounted to a card. Alpha Strike coins, those struck early for the best definition, are supplied in Scottsdale Mint’s ‘Certi-Lock’ packaging, and just 249 will be offered. All should be available to order from today.

DENOMINATION	COMPOSITION	DIMENSIONS	FINISH	MINTAGE
20 Cedis (Ghana)	31.1 g 0.999 silver	39 mm	B/Unc	10,000
500 Cedis (Ghana)	31.1 g 0.9999 gold	32 mm	B/Unc	100

SCOTTSDALE MINT

where to buy page

09Apr 24

Released today is the latest in Precious Metal Collector’s range of hybrid silver/copper coins, and in a step away from fine art or Asian mythology, they’re taking steps into the final frontier with our solar system. As one of PMC’s bi-metal coins, it’s a size far greater than the two ounces of silver would suggest, aided by the use of 11.5 ounces of copper as a core. The coin is thick, 80 mm in diameter, and has plenty of high-relief, yet remains relatively affordable compared to an all silver strike.

The design is simple enough. The Earth is the primary focus, with the Sun behind it, and the other seven planets laid out to one side. It’s an artistic depiction, bearing no relation to the size or position of these bodies in reality, but they are coloured sympathetically. There’s a rocket, looking a little like Space X’s ‘Starship’, in orbit around Earth.

The obverse features a simplified pattern of orbits, with the Public Seal of Niue sitting in a space the Sun would occupy. This side is fully antiqued, and sans colouration. All together, a decent, if unadventurous design. It’s a very difficult subject to capture well on a coin face, and we feel PMC have done well to pull it all in as well as they have. Boxed with a C.O.A., it’s available to order now.

DENOMINATION	COMPOSITION	DIMENSIONS	FINISH	MINTAGE
$5 NZD (Niue)	62.2 g 0.999 silver, 11.5oz 0.999 copper	80.0 mm	Antique, colour	299

PRECIOUS METAL COLLECTORS

where to buy page

09Apr 24

A giant of the literary and film worlds, irrespective of genre, J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ sequence has topped bestseller lists around the world for decades, They made the move to the big screen in 2003, with an epic trilogy helmed by Peter Jackson, which amassed 17 Oscars (including a staggeringly 11 out of 11 nominations for The Two Towers), and made $3 billion in box-office takings alone. There’s a good presence in the coin world, with several producers issuing themed coins, chief amongst them the New Zealand Mint.

The pop-culture coin specialist has released a very cool new coin today, struck in five-ounces of fine silver, and reproducing a map of Middle Earth. It has a frame filled with script, place names picked out in red colour, and a coloured emblem in one corner. The ‘torn’ edge is a terrific touch. The theming continues on the obverse, with the Public Seal of Niue surrounded by the inscription from the One Ring.

The NZ Mint always does presentation well, and this coin is no exception, even at a $499 USD price. With a mintage of just 250 pieces, and a licence with the popularity of Lord of the Rings, we expect this will be a sought after release, and rightly so, in our view. Very nice. Available from today.

DENOMINATION	COMPOSITION	DIMENSIONS	FINISH	MINTAGE
$10 NZD (Niue)	155.5 g 0.9999 silver	100.0 x 100.0 mm	Antique, colour	250

where to buy page

LATEST SITE UPDATES

15/04: COIN SERIES PROFILE – Added 2024 issue and special edition to Art Mint’s Mandala Art guide

09/04: THEMATIC GUIDE – Added 2 new Hulk Comix coins to the Marvel Comics Thematic Guide

03/04: BULLION PROFILE – A brand-new profile covering the Germania Mint’s Germanic Runes silver bars

02/04: COIN SERIES PROFILE – Completely refreshed and brought up-to-date the Esoteric Centres Antiqued CSP

27/03: BULLION SALES PAGE – Updated all 6 graphs of Perth Mint & US Mint bullion numbers

26/03: COIN SERIES PROFILE – Added 3 new issues to the Fine Art Bi/Tri-Metal Max CSP

25/03: COIN SERIES PROFILE – Added Bluebottle to the Deadly & Dangerous CSP

24/03: THEMATIC GUIDE – Added multiple new issues to the NZ Mint Star Wars coin guide

LATEST SITE NEWS

Site updates. Changes to the Homepage, the usual tweaks, and Easter

Mik Woodgate2024-03-28T23:00:33+00:00March 28th, 2024|

Site updates. Changes to the Homepage, the usual tweaks, and Easter Hi All, As you may have noticed, we've made a small tweak to the Homepage, reducing and moving the rarely utilised 'News Nuggets' (which show on the main NEWS page now anyway), to just [...]