One of nature’s biggest ever cats gets one of numismatics biggest coins. Smilodon debuts on MDM’s hybrid metal format

Double Silver Giant, a series of big copper/silver hybrid coins, is back with its sixth annual release. The first four coins were buried deep in the prehistoric past, but the 2024 coin jumped forward to the late Cenozoic with a slightly disappointing Megalodon. We remain in that period for the 2025 issue with a big favourite, Smilodon, the best known of the sabre-toothed cats.

Often called the Sabre-toothed Tiger, it isn’t related to any modern cats at all, belonging to an extinct branch of felids that diverged from the ancestor of modern cats around 20 million years ago. This is a big animal, often tipping the scales at over 400 kg, and was powerfully built. Despite the big gnashers, its bite was relatively weak, barely a third of that of a modern lion. These animals are well-known, with hundreds of finely preserved specimens found in the La Brea Tar Pits of Los Angeles.

These coins are different from MDM’s usual fare, as the bulk of their makeup is copper, which you can see on the edge. This is sandwiched between a pair of five-gram fine silver faces, each antique finished. The benefit of this format is a large diameter (60 mm), high-relief, and low cost, making these impressive items for their low cost.

The Smilodon design is a good one, with nice detail, and good depth. Little details, like the patternation on the fur, and the detail on the fern leaves, enhance the overall look. The common obverse of the first four issues was replaced with a new one for the Megalodon coin, and there’s an all-new one again this year. A nice change. The coin is boxed with a COA, and 1,999 will be produced. One that prehistoric life nuts (like me) will enjoy. Available to order now.