A literary legend, British author Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, has captured the imagination of readers since he first appeared in 1887. Over the next four decades, a total of 4 novels, and 56 short stories featured the character and his medical partner in detection, Dr. Watson. Holmes remains the most portrayed human literary character in film and television history. Detective stories were not uncommon in the late Victorian era, but Holmes was quite an unusual character for the time, using advanced techniques in observation, deduction, forensic science and logic to solve crime.

The character’s first appearance was in a story called ‘A Study in Scarlet’, along with Dr. Watson, Inspectors Gregson and Lestrade, and 221B Baker Street. The work was one of only four full-length novels in the original canon, and only 11 copies of the 1887 Beeton’s Christmas Annual, in which it was first published, survive to this day, one of which, signed by Doyle, was bid up to £240k before failing to sell in 2010. The work is in the Public Domain now, and you can read it on Project Gutenberg for free.

The first of the two coins issued by the Mint of Gdańsk is this quite superb 200-gram silver design. It depicts Holmes and Watson, accompanied by four police officers, standing over the body of one of the two victims, possibly Enoch Drebber of Cleveland, Ohio. There’s just so much packed into this one. The posing of the characters is very natural, down to Holmes lighting his pipe, and the colouration (some UV)of the clothing is very sympathetic to the period, as well as making the three most important characters the focal point for the eye to settle on.

That doesn’t mean the background gets short-changed. A group in the background is seen milling about, complete with a bulldog on a lead. Two bystanders are off to the right, beautifully realised, right down to the texture of the suits, and the hand in the pocket. The streets are roughly cobbled, and the buildings have a good balance of elegance and haphazardness. The perspective to the left and right is a little off, but I’m really splitting hairs here. First class all round.

The obverse features a view of the facade to 221b Baker Street, with the front door highlighted under a magnifying glass. There’s an ornate period border, and it all looks top-notch with its antique finish. It comes boxed with a C.O.A. but we don’t have images of that at present. A round gloss-black box with a lid like a magnifying glass would be very cool, or a book-style one. Whatever the case (no pun intended), if I was able, I’d get this one.

The second design is more affordable, at under half the price, but still utilises two-ounces of fine silver. That doesn’t mean it’s a poor sibling, and this is a terrific issue in its own right. Here we see Holmes, Watson, and two plod in a study, Holmes inspecting the novel that the victim, Drebber’s secretary, Joseph Stangerson, must have been reading when he was killed by a knife through the heart. On the wall is the word ‘RACHE’ (German for revenge), written in the murderer’s blood. On the coin, this is coloured with UV ink, so will glow in subdued lighting. Again, great posing, and the high-relief is expertly employed to create perspective and depth to the scene.

The obverse here is similar in ethos to the 200 gram effort, but, in our view at least, is superior. The main scene is a view of Tower Bridge, a fantastic structure of the period that remains just as famous today. The magnifying glass returns, but this time over a completely different image – the door of 221b Baker Street. Rather than a simple struck magnifier, there’s a 3d printed insert doing the honours. We’re not usually fans of those, but it just works here. The same ornate border is present.

Also supplied in a box with a Certificate of Authenticity, the mintage here is higher, set at 400 pieces. Available to order now, this is another fine example of literary works making the transition to numismatics.