Germania Mint’s ‘Knight of Malta’ returns with a coin looking at the pivotal 16th-century Great Siege of Malta

It what just last year that Germania Mint announced a deal to design and mint coins for the Mediterranean island of Malta. We don’t see much in the way of precious metal numismatics from Malta, so going outside to a producer as talented as Germania Mint, with all the cutting edge minting technology they bring to the table, was a great idea. The 2021 debut coin was a fine looking piece, and the 2022 issue keeps up that standard.

To say that Malta has a rich history would be a huge understatement, going back millennia before even the pyramids of Egypt were constructed, but the Knights of Malta series concentrates on that Medieval period when the worlds of Christianity and Islam were first at loggerheads. The second coin features the famous Siege of Malta, when a huge Ottoman fleet, said to have been the largest assembled since antiquity, attempted to add Malta to its list of conquests, which included Rhodes.

The Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, landed on the island, greatly outnumbering the 6,500 defenders headed by the Knights Hospitaller, and on 18th May 1565 laid siege to the fortress. Four months later, on 13th September, the siege was lifted. Just six years later, at the Battle of Lepanto, Ottoman sea power in the Mediterranean was decisively crushed

The coin design depicts a personal confrontation between a Knight and an Ottoman soldier. Behind the former are the castle ramparts, complete with another Christian soldier, while behind the latter is the open sea, complete with elements of the Ottoman fleet. It’s a fine design for a numismatic, especially so for a one-ounce bullion coin with a 15,000 mintage, and the terrific obverse, with its coat-of-arms of Malta at its centre, returns.

Unlike most bullion coins, this one is very well presented in a card display, and comes with a separate Certificate of Authenticity. As bullion products go, this is a premium item, for sure, so it will carry a higher premium, but you’re definitely getting something for that. There’s a second version of this design, however.

The full-on numismatic version is very nice indeed. Doubling the weight to two ounces, the extra metal has largely been employed in facilitating some excellent levels of high relief. The increase in diameter, from 38.61 mm to 45 mm, hasn’t simply been used to enlarge the existing art, but to expand it. You can see lots of changes, not always apparent at first glance. The opposing soldiers in the foreground now have legs, and more space around their bodies. While the background is very similar, and although there are tweaks to it, the soldier’s placement over it has changed slightly. You can see greater clearance between them and the ships, for example.

Along with that, the antique finish suits the design perfectly, and the gilded breastplate has a strong contrast to it. Clearly, much more love and attention has been imparted on this version than is obvious on a first look. The presentation is also quite exceptional. We have the first coin here, and the acrylic frame with its wooden base looks great on a shelf. Only 999 of these will be struck. Along with the bullion coin, you should be able to order these now, with shipping commencing next month, we understand. Great release.