A quick preview look at Mint 21’s new 2020 selection of coins, from love, art and nature
Oe of our favourite coin producers at present, joining such luminaries as CIT, Numiscollect, Art Mint and MDM, amongst others, capable of, and doing, something different without diving into tacky. They have their own visual style that seems to be effortlessly applicable to a whole range of subjects. Indeed, their Spartan Hoplite coin remains a personal favourite from 2019 and one on my eventual purchase list.
A more focused selection this time – that focus being art in its various forms. From the classic masters Raphael and Van Gogh, through the cultural art of the Indian subcontinent, there are some fine examples here. A nature coin and a celebratory one round out the mix.
We’ll take a better look at some of these in the coming weeks when better, more high-resolution images are available, but here’s a quick round-up, minus a Lunar coin which we’ll cover seperately.
WORLD’S GREATEST ARTISTS: GUSTAV KLIMT
A sequel to the mints pretty Leonardo da Vinci issue, Gustav Klimt is the second of the worlds art masters to appear in this series. Klimt is no stranger to the coin worl, appearing countless times over the last few years, perhaps started by the Austrian Mint’s award-winning gold series. It’s a subject rarely done as well as it is here. Most coins have taken the lazy approach of just reproducing a piece of his art, but this one follows Leonardo in depicting, in un-coloured form, the man himself. A small touch, but one that gives much added dimension and context.A 2 oz fine silver coin with an antique finish and a mintage of 500. We like this one a lot.
VAN GOGH SUNFLOWERS (Revised image to follow)
It doesn't get more iconic in the art world than Vincent van Gogh's seminal work, 'Sunflowers'. Mint 21 have chosen to gild the coin that carries the depiction of it, with mixed results. As an accurate representation, it lacks the boring background of the original that isolated, and thus highlighted the subject. However, as a coin in its own right, it's a pretty enough release and again, we like that they've gone with a subtley different take on the original artwork.
This is also a 2 oz coin, but in this case they've eschewed the use of it for high-relief, choosing to employ the extra metal in a very nice diameter of 70 mm. Mintage is 500.
500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF RAPHAEL
One of the greatest works by one of the greatest masters is always going to be a safe bet for a coin, and what better way to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael than with his painting 'Cherubs'. Some neat touches on the obverse as well.
Another Ghanaian issue, this one tops out at 50 grams of fine silver silver and has a mintage of 500.
MOMENTS OF LOVE: KAMA SUTRA II
The second Moments of Love coin is also the second to take to the Kama Sutra for inspiration. Replete with imagery from the ancient book, combined with a coloured background that's very 'Austin Powersesque' it's a brave attempt to do a subject very rarely touched in numismatics. A unique visual style makes this one to watch for those after something a bit different.
A 3 oz fine silver coin with a mintage of 500.
MANDALA OWL
This one follows the 2019 Mandala Elephant and goes with an owl for a big change. A restrained colour pallette combined with the antique finish seems to work well together, and the coin maintains the unusual graphic style very well.
A 2 oz fine silver coin with an inset Swarovski crystal, it has a mintage of 500 pieces also.
WILDLIFE IN THE MOONLIGHT: GREY WOLF
Another sequel coin, Grey Wolf follows last years Long-eared Owl in featuring an animal active in moonlight. The moon on this 2 oz fine silver coin is gilded - a series signature - with the rest antiqued. A nice image, with lots of habitat detail giving the wolf some context. As with all the other coins so far, the mintage is capped at 500 pieces.
MOTHERHOOD
Not a series coin, but rather a celebratory one, much like the annual issues for weddings, births etc. put out by the Perth and Royal Canadian Mints, for example, Motherhood is a homage to the mother-child bond. Though this kind of coin isn't my thing personally, even I can see the aesthetic appeal here, regardless. A comforting image that would make a fantastic gift to a new mother, with a little crystal sparkle added in. It's great to see the mint do subjects like this.
Best of all, at ½ oz in weight with a mintage of 1,000 pieces, this should be eminently more affordable than the other issues here, and it seems to be very nicely presented as well.
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