German producer, MDM, brings the beauty of the Hummingbird to coins with an embellished 120 mm silver issue

In 2022, MDM released an impressive half-kilo silver coin shaped like a peacock, replete with pastel colours, and embedded crystals, designed to bring to numismatic life one of nature’s most beautiful animals. The coin’s most striking feature was its sheer size, Despite tipping the scales at 500 grams, it still surprised with its expansive 120 mm diameter, especially considering the high-relief nature of the strike (pictured lower down).

The Peacock sold out, so it’s of little surprise that MDM have followed it up with a second release in the same vein, sensibly sticking with that most colourful of groups, the birds. One of the most captivating and fascinating of them all is the hummingbird, famed for its staggering wing speed, and ability to hover. These birds are generally tiny, so it isn’t often we see a coin that’s bigger than its subject, and with this new coin coming in at 120 x 115 mm, that’s certainly the case for many species.

You can see the familial resemblance with the Peacock issue, employing a similarly subtle colour palette, used with restraint, and an antique finish elsewhere. The use of crystals is rarely a plus point for us, and few coins employ them successfully, but we’re not going to quibble here, with their use fitting the stylised craft-like nature of the design very well. The design adding some flora behind the bird helps round out the overall coin shape, and simultaneously grounds it in its habitat. A great artistic touch.

The obverse is a big step up from the peacock coin. The change from Nauru to Vanuatu is irrelevant, both Oceanic micronations emblems having similar levels of appeal, but the addition of floral elements around it is a huge bump for the hummingbird issue. We’ve always championed customising the often overlooked obverse, and this is a good step. The coin comes in a wooden box with a Certificate of Authenticity, and has a mintage of 399 units. If you like your nature coins big, artistic, and in your face, you might find much to like in this impressive numismatic. Available to order now.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION 50 Vatu (Vanuatu)
COMPOSITION 500.0 g of 0.999 silver
DIMENSIONS 120.0 x 115.0 mm
FINISH Antique
MODIFICATIONS High-relief, metallic colour, crystals
MINTAGE 399