With the increasing focus on higher end numismatics, it’s easy to overlook potential problems arising from it. Even ignoring the economic woes affecting more and more people, and the subsequent shrinking of disposable income, it’s hard to entice new collectors into the hobby when the price of entry is so high. Outside of bullion coins, there’s little to capture the interest of potential hobbyists in the sub-$100 realm. Enter ACP with a new idea.

Utilising what must be the thinnest silver blank on the market today, at just 0.15 mm thick, this new range hits a 30 mm diameter, despite tipping the scales at just one gram. Obviously, high-relief is out of the question, so the responsibility for creating the artwork falls to laser etching and pad printing, the latter often superior to digital on many surfaces as it avoids that pixelated look up close. As a result, art that is crisply defined, and with high contrast will work best, and Artisan have done just that.

Rather than focus on a single theme, the producer has cast a wide net, and the first three issues cover visual trickery, astrophysics, and the Chinese lunar calendar. Quite a mix. All are quite striking, and the etched obverse, featuring the national coat-of-arms of Chad, is particularly nice. Each of the three designs is available in both proof, and gilded finishes, with identical mintages and prices.

It’s great to see new ideas, especially when they come in at under $40/€50, and ACP have done a great job picking a varied, and quirky range of imagery to kick it off. The range is called ‘Biggest and Thinnest’, and we hope it’s successful in attracting new interest in numismatics, and with current collectors looking for something unique. Available now, they can be purchased direct from First Coin Company, or from Powercoin, with other dealers to follow.

Optical illusions play on the way our brain processes visual information. It’s quite amazing how simple elements, in this case using monochrome four-sided polygons, can simulate a three dimensional scene. The ball isn’t made of anything circular. Computer nerds will remember the famous Amiga ‘bouncing ball’ demo that blew everyone away back in 1984, and this scene reminds me a little of that.

My personal favourite of the three designs here, it shows what can be done with just a little colour, and looks equally good in both finishes.

One of the most powerful forces in all of nature, black holes have mystified astrophysicists for decades. There are many mathematical models trying to describe how the work, and attempting to visualise the tremendous forces at work. The one chosen here was done by NASA, and you can see the accretion disc clearly.

It’s a striking choice of design, which fits in well with the use of high-contrast colour, and again, it works equally well in gilded form.

ACP are touting this as the last Lunar Rabbit coin to be issued, and they may well be correct. It utilises the same type of fine line art employed on the black hole design, and it appears to work well. We’d imagine that if these debut designs are popular, we may see a dragon one next year.

Latex-skin frames have become a popular item in the coin world, but like all things, they’re not made equally. ACP have chosen a particularly neat example for this range, similar to one used by the Royal Canadian Mint for a dinosaur series a few years ago. They come with a pair of feet to aid stability, and some custom theming.