Parthava Coin lights up the Batsignal to highlight the first in a new five-issue range of Batman comic cover silver foils

Pop culture remains probably the most popular theme in modern numismatics, and the breadth and depth of options on offer is very impressive. One format that seems to be garnering renewed interest after a quiet period, is the silver foil. We’ve always liked the silver foil format, from the five-gram banknote size, to the one-ounce, the latter sized almost exactly like a comic book. In fact, comic book covers have been a popular use for these foils, along with film posters, which is hardly surprising given the wealth of often stunning artwork in the genre.

The latest to join the market is Parthava Coin, a Canadian producer who has issued some excellent coin designs over the last couple of years. Their new five-issue, one-ounce silver foil series dives into the almost bottomless well of art that has adorned DC Comics over the last 90 years, including the superhero heavy-hitters, Batman, and Superman, and by a plethora of super-talented artists.

One of the bona-fide masters of comic book art is Todd McFarlane. His body of work for DC, Marvel (particularly Spider-Man), and Image (through his creation, Spawn), genuinely moved the field to a higher level, with bold, expressive, full-page works, and the subject of this first foil, Batman #423, is no exception. McFarlane did not draw the story, just the cover, and the difference in style between his cover, and the more traditional style of the internal story panels, is stark. It’s easy to see why McFarlane become such an iconic artist, part of the new wave that would eventually go on to create Image Comics.

Not all silver foils are legal tender, but this one is, for Samoa, carrying a $5 denomination on its back, surrounded by a repeating pattern of DC logos. These foils are thin, of course, so come sealed for their protection, and are relatively easy to display, something we imagine would have much appeal for comic book collectors, who do the same for their favourites. Only 250 of these will be produced, so it’s certainly one of the rarest of its type. The following foils will be issued quite quickly, perhaps as fast as monthly, but it looks like all of them will drop in 2025, at least. A classic cover, we look forward to seeing which of the DC giants will be next. Available from today.