Chibi again… Yippee… This is the eleventh Star Wars Chibi coin (not including a pair of The Mandalorian issues), and the 59th since the range kicked off in the middle day of 2020. These are exceptionally well done for the target market, very popular, and wide-ranging in subject, with Star Trek and Street Fighter II joining in recently.

Ignore my fatigue at covering four of these every month for a year and a half, they’re a unique idea, perfectly realised. I’d be interested to know how many of these collectors have. Anybody have all of them? There are two more coming on the 14th, so keep an eye on our huge Chibi profile for those, as we have no plans to write about more film/TV coins before we take a break for the Christmas holiboozeup.

The follow on from the APMEX Pac-Man coin celebrating that legendary arcade character’s 40th anniversary, Ms Pac-Man is also now celebrating hitting her midlife crisis by popping pills (no way she’s getting Covid!!!). Considered to be a better game than the original on its release on January 13th 1982, it’s a classic from a simpler time, so different from the money-grabbing, lootbox-laden business we have today.

APMEX have based the release around a design showcasing the anniversary logo, and at its core is a brilliant uncirculated silver bullion version with a 25,000 mintage. There’s a proof silver version of the same coin, and a gold bullion one as well, but all share the same DNA. Rounding out the four-coin range is a coloured silver bullion variant packaged in a sealed acrylic slab. This one is a little different in having a coloured maze fill the background field. The silver proof, and the gold coin are presented in themed tins.

The third in the mints shaped ‘Mickey & Friends’ coins, these are vaguely shaped, rather than being defined tightly by the character depiction, Neat enough, though unambitious (relief?), they’re popular enough to warrant a 10,000 mintage.

Very similar to the Star Wars Classic series, the NZM’s Lord of the Rings range consists of a selection of character coins in silver and gold. In this case, however, the silver coins are coloured, and the gold coins have completely different artwork.

Lord of the Rings fans will know the character, and how popular it is. For non fans, the staid design won’t be a big draw, but these are aimed at a specific target audience, so that’s less important than you’d imagine.

The fifth release in the Faces of the Empire, this is a range of helmet coins, not unlike those that the mint has issued before. The difference this time is the smaller weight of one-ounce, and a style that hovers between the realistic and the Chibi look. W’ve commented before that these seem inspired by the various Star Wars animated series, rather than the movies.

Whatever the case, with a 10,000 mintage these are easier to pick up than the earlier series, with the usual superb presentation the NZ Mint is known for.