Rectangular coins are quite rare from CIT, but the growing market for minted bars has obviously picqued interest, with the result being what they’re calling, ‘Barre de luxe’. The first of them is this quite stunning Leopard design, struck in a three-ounce silver bar, fully gilded, and then selectively coloured.

The design is gorgeous, sporting one of the finest feline portraits I’ve ever seen in numismatics, enhanced by some perfectly utilised high-relief, giving it real depth. The way that some of the spots on the animal’s back have been left free of colour and texture to show the proof gilding below is a terrific touch. The sunburst background is perhaps, less succesful, but it does add some dynamism. The obverse also looks good, filled with foliage behind a small circle filled with the issue details.

As CIT have done with many of their issues over the last couple of decades, there’s a nice little half-gram minigold variant. This does a remarkable job reproducing the bigger one, except minus the high-relief and colour, right down to that leafy obverse. Impressive considering how little metal is available. All together, this pair is a stellar intrdouction to this series, and I hope we see more.

Spectrum is a series that showcases animals known for their colouration, and does so by dialing up the intensity to 11, and throwing in something they call ‘Prisma Plating’ that makes each individual coin unique through variations in the hue. The first coin took an obvious colourful subject for its star, and that was the Peacock.

This time, it’s a Hyacinth Macaw, a beloved parrot species, blue, with a yellow area around the neck. Struck in high-relief with wings outstretched, it soars over a background of feathers. You don’t need me to tell you what the most striking feature of this coin is, as the blue colour hits you immediately. It’s intense, almost alive, and yet somehow, seeems to suit the subject perfectly.

By contrast, even with the blue colour, the obverse is wholly unremarkable. A beautiful coin, unusual and vibrant, and a different take on the bird coin.

Also the second in its series, this one is called ‘Black & White’, just as direct and to the point as ‘Spectrum’. Currently focused on the big cats, as the debut release featured a superb Tiger, and the 2026 coin features an equally stunning Lion. We’ve said it multiple times before, but CIT remain perhaps the very best in the industry when it comes to portraiture on coins, and a look at this one should cement that opinion.

A mix of white colour over an Obsidian Black finish is used to create a nocturnal view that seems highlighted by a light source off to one side. It’s beautifully simple, yet very effective, in combination with the high-relief, in creating a moody piece of imagery that shows this incredible animal off spectacularly. Again, the obverse is simple, although the claw marks lift it over the ‘Spectrum’ issue.

A new series, ‘Born for Speed’ gives off similar vibes to CIT’s earlier ‘The Journey’ range, which combined a subject sitting over a speedometer gauge. The subjects there were mechanical forms of transport, and the two-ounce coins were finished in black proof with gilding, which was appropriate for them.

This Sailfish coin reduces the weight to a more affordable one-ounce, dumping the black proof for a clean look with colouring. That’s obviously much more in keeping with the natural theme of the coin. The high-relief remains, lifting the fish from what looks like a lightly convex background. The depiction of the sailfish is first-class, about as dynamic a pose as you could imagine of this blisteringly fast fish, and it’s so well coloured to boot. A very promising debut.

Envy is the fifth in CIT’s animalistic trip through the seven deadly sins, and this one must have been a difficult one to visualise. The first coin in the series to feature two different species, envy is depicted in the face of the bear, looking up at the freedom of flight enjoyed by a soaring eagle overhead.

A decent design, I think it could be improved with a couple of changes. Firstly, shrink the bear about 30% and add a more defined shadow. Secondly, I’d have had the ends of the eagle wings and tail sit over the raised rim, rather than terminating against it. I feel both would enhance the feeling of space between the two worlds occupied by these animals. Despite my nitpicks, a good design, but that awesome Sloth coin remains my series favourite.