Available exclusively through huge American coin dealer APMEX, the next of Scottsdale Mints ‘Biblical Stories’ series of coins has debuted and is the third of six to launch in 2015. Carrying on with the antique finish, rimless, high-relief concept and specification of the first coin, Exodus, and the second, The Crucifixion of Jesus, both are closely based on the artwork from celebrated 19th century wood engraving specialist, Gustave Doré.
Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré was a French artist, illustrator, printmaker and sculptor who worked primarily with wood engraving. Doré was a prolific artist and his bible series first published in 1865 numbered several hundred illustrations in total. With so much source material, Scottsdale will have no problem finding some striking imagery for the planned ten sets of six coins to be released over the next decade. The important change in emphasis here is towards sets of six coins instead of a single set of 60. This is a much more sensible approach as the thought of having to stick with anything collectable for a decade is daunting and could have diminished the overall appeal of these coins.
The third coin takes the story of David and Goliath and like the previous pair, the design is beautifully detailed, very artistic, and close to the source material. Whatever your beliefs, there are some fascinating stories and powerful imagery associated with Doré’s Biblical work, and the choice of ultra-high relief, rimless, antique-finish coins is perfect. This third coin continues the trend of removing some of the complexity which some thought overpowered the Exodus coin. A fine interpretation of the original work, it leaves no doubt what story the design represents. Even the obverse uses the, in our view, superior Maklouf image of Elizabeth II over the later Broadley version and the laser-etched serial number on the rim that matches the certificate is a nice touch.
Sold exclusively through APMEX in the US, the coin again retails for $179.99. The first coin is still available in limited quantities although after several price rises it’s now at a hefty $219.99, far too much we think, while the second coin is also up to $199.99 despite over 10% of the mintage still being available. We think APMEX are being a bit short-sighted here, as even though the designs are first class, these aren’t generating the buzz of the Perth Mints superb Gods of Olympus series. A nice six-coin collectors box would be a good step forward as well. Available to order now.
MINTS DESCRIPTION
The story of David and Goliath can be found in the book of Samuel, depicting in great detail young David defeating the giant Goliath with just a stone and a sling. This iconic story of big and small, good and evil, has been passed down for generations and used by many as a relatable story when facing odds. The remarkable event is depicted on a 2 troy ounce Silver legal tender coin from the Scottsdale Mint, with a limited mintage of 1,499 coins.
The Bible tells that David’s true motive in accepting Goliath’s challenge was to show the world the power of God and to restore God’s honor by defeating Goliath. David spoke to Goliath saying “Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head… and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!” This scene is depicted on the coin’s antiqued brushed and hand-distressed finish displaying the moment David made good of his word. The creative team at the U.S.-based Scottsdale Mint designed this .999 fine Silver piece as a true testament to the events depicted in master French craftsman Gustave Doré’s original 1860s wood carving. The final result is a unique work of art honoring this timeless story.
“The David and Goliath Silver coin is a great addition to the series” APMEX Vice President of Merchandising Andrew Martineau said. “With its unique 2 oz size and limited mintage, this coin and series are sure to be a great investment to any collector.
The Silver David and Goliath coin has a limited mintage of 1,499 coins showing its place as a collector’s item. It is part of a six coin series being released in 2015. Each coin comes with a certificate of authenticity telling the story of the coin and minting specifications, along with a unique serial number that matches the laser-etched number on each coin. The certificate also features Doré’s artwork the design was based off of. The coin has been issued by the Scottsdale Mint by the authority of Niue Island and is legal tender in that country.
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Incredibly artistic, this coin series has won me over. It’s just so different than others I’ve collected over the years and the relief on this David coin is simply fantastic. The fact that the earlier coins have climbed a little in price is good/bad depending of you if already own one, or want to buy one. If they only have 10% left (150 coins?) maybe I need to step up and buy the few remaining (I wish!) as this set has a chance of increasing even more in price. Very excited to see this series march on.
To be blunt, the series is an abysmal failure on every level, and anyone who says differently is presumably just a lying shill trying to hype it up. I know of only one person (who wouldn’t ever buy them) who likes the designs, and if any collector out there does like them AND actually pays that gouging price for them, more power to them LOL
More realistic to start your comment off with “In my opinion”. Everybody likes different things and whether you like the subject or not, and I will admit I personally don’t have an interest, the coins are clearly of a high standard and based on the work of a widely regarded artist. It’s about choice and frankly insulting that you’d assume somebody was lying because they liked something you didn’t.
As I said, not a subject matter for me, but the number of religious coins being released means there’s clearly a market.
My opinion and and the opinion of almost every other person I’ve discussed them with. The first coin in the series hasn’t even sold out yet. Since the style is so obviously a Gods of Olympus knock-off (in my opinion LOL) it’s pretty straight forward to compare the sales of these to those,and we come right back to abysmal failure. Subjective? Of course, but who would REALISTICALLY call the series a smash hit?!
P.S. … The coins being “of a high standard based on the work of a widely regarded artist” is also an opinion, and one nobody I know of shares. What I’ve heard and what I think is that the designs to date have been poorly executed when you compare them to the original works. Add to that too many coins in the series, designs released in a random order that makes no sense, quality issues reported by folks who have actually purchased the coins themselves, and an obnoxiously high price point. I think the concept was a very good one, but they’ve botched it up completely, hence my previous comments, and I stand by ALL of them. Honesty is more important to me than politeness and/or manors, although my intention is not to insult anyone here. It’s one thing to like the coins and think they’re well done, it’s quite another to suggest they are a good by from an investment standpoint when the preponderance of the evidence available indicates the opposite is the case.
To get the artist out of the way first and to quote WikiArt, “his work is considered some of the most important in the entire engraving art world.”. Respected in his lifetime and to this day for his work illustrating Dante, the comment “widely regarded artist’ is a fact. Whether you or I share that view is, like everything in life, completely subjective, but doesn’t alter the truth of it.
As for quality, the first two Gods of Olympus coins had quality issues that led to delays and I’ve seen nothing of note suggesting Scottsdales work isn’t decent here. You’re right, they’re not investment coins and I’ve made quite clear in the article that the increasing pricing is unwelcome, but not all coins are good for investment and what happened with the Olympus coins happens only a few times amongst the hundreds of coins released every year. I think the reason these haven’t sold out is both the price-point and the idea that there are 60 coins in total. Many people like to get a whole set or none at all.You’d be surprised at how few coins actually do sell out their mintage.