Artisan Coins launches its Robots: The Next Evolution series with an elegant look at love in the digital age

It isn’t often we get to see a whole new visual style adorning a coin, but we think it’s fair to say that Artisan Coin Productions have done just that with the first Robots: The Next Evolution release. The series will encompass five coins, each with a unique theme looking at how artificial life will develop in the future. The debut coin chooses love, and if this one is an indicator of things to come, this could be a hell of a set of coins.

Depicting a pair of robots warmly embracing, it’s a wonderful piece of numismatic art, choosing to eschew intricacy for a more organic look, much like the modern aesthetic for robots. Ironically, this is one of the least likely looks for future robots given humans apparent hatred for anything that looks too similar in appearance to ourselves, but it’s how we like to imagine them regardless, going right back to Fritz Lang’s iconic ‘Metropolis’ from 1927. Whatever the reality is, it looks stunning on the coin. The Pinnacle Relief ultra-high relief strike (a custom Artisan process) reaches out to some 6.5 mm, a very impressive amount, which imparts a superb sense of dimensionality to the look of it.

There are two versions of the coin at present, with a third yet to be shown. The key version will be the part gilded coin. Both of these have a Black Obsidian finish as a basis, but this one has the male robot gilded to great effect. The contrast looks fantastic and it’s our favourite version of the two we have images of. Making up the bulk of this launch, there will be a maximum of 399 pieces struck.

The second coin is less numerous at 99 pieces, and does away with the gilding for a mix of polished proof and matte Black Obsidian finishes. A very elegant look for sure and a nice companion piece for the part-gilded coin. Both of these have the same proof Black Obsidian finish, which has the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II (Ian Rank Broadley version) in its centre, as if a CPU, complete with traces coming off it on all four sides. Again, it looks crisp and appropriate.

The third version will have a mintage of 1. Yes, just one piece, and will employ a mix of polished and matte gilding. Inscribed on the edge are the name of the series, the producer and the serial number. All coins come with exquisite presentation, comprised of a box/display frame inside a leatherette sleeve. A pair of swish-looking, logo adorned coin gloves are also included. It’s certainly a very stylish package well in keeping with the coins high-end status.

Artisan have also invested time and money into a smartphone-enabled Augmented Reality app. This shows the coins coming to life and there’s more in the video to describe it – much easier visually than with words, we find.

This brings us to our only minor gripe – price. At $499.90 USD for the base version, it’s around the average, but we’d find it hard to argue the coin isn’t worth it. It is. However, the all-black coin comes in at almost $1,000 USD – a hefty chunk of change. If you want a specific serial number, the gilded one ranges from $749.90, to $10k, while the all-black ranges from $1499.00 to that same $10k. Those are some serious prices for a new release. They’re billed as ‘Price Grow Coins’, but I’d have worries that was possible at the launch prices of some variants, or even why that concept exists.

Overall, however, it’s been an absolute pleasure to look at this coin. It’s one of the finest pieces we’ve seen in the eight years I’ve been writing AgAUNEWS, and clearly a complete labour of love for the team behind Artisan Coin Productions. Everything from the original design and concept, right through to the final presentation, is outstanding. I find it hard to imagine this not being one of our top three of the year come 31 December, Fortunately, the most numerous version is our favourite, and would be our choice for both aesthetic and value reasons. The next coin is now number one in our most eagerly awaited! It can be purchased now from both Artisan themselves, and from First Coin Company. Availability will widen soon.-