One of natures most beautiful birds, the swan has appeared on quite a few modern coins, most famously on the Perth Mint’s much-loved Australian Swan bullion and proof coin range. However, we’ve never seen it depicted in such as fashion as MDM Wholesale have done on their latest issue, released as part of their own Autumn Launch.

The design is particularly striking with a pair of swans, with outswept wings, engaged in a courtship dance on the surface of a pond. The wings continue past the circular rim of the main coin to fine effect. Each bird is decorated with a coloured enamel, one in white, one in black, creating a fine sense of contrast against the antiqued grey finish of the coin itself. There is some delicate gilding to the beaks.

The obverse is a terrific little design, consisting of a group of lily pads, and a pair of flowers, on which is rested the issue inscriptions and the shield of Samoa. It’s a very natural looking composition, and a clever way to incorporate the necessary issue details. Just like the swan that inspired it, this is a very elegant coin.

The coin comes boxed, and with a certificate of authenticity, and the mintage is capped at 399 pieces. The only downside is this is a half-kilo silver coin, and with the current stratospheric rise in the spot price of silver, means this will need you to dig quite deep to get hold of. For those that do, we reckon you’ll have snapped up a fine release.