Great Commanders are the subject of a striking new bullion coin range from Scottsdale Mint and SD Bullion

History is usually defined by military prowess, and a single commander can often be the driving force behind huge changes in the regional order, sometimes even the world. Even going back thousands of years into antiquity, talented military leaders became so famous, they remain household names to this day. What better subject for a coin series, when numismatics does this kind of thing so well?

This new 12-coin bullion range, will be available in three formats. The showpiece for us is a five-ounce silver with an unbound edge, which looks sublime. There are also one-ounce, and tenth-ounce gold variants, although both of those have a traditional rim. All are issued for Liberia, and have that nation’s attractive emblem on the obverse. The one-ounce gold variant comes in Scottsdale Mint’s Certi-Lock packaging for added security. On this evidence, a first-rate bullion series, and one we’ll be watching closely.

The first release, and one we missed to our discredit (we’ve known about it for ages, but didn’t pick up it had been made exclusive to SD Bullion, so missed the launch), is this simply beautiful Napoleon Bonaparte coin. Here we can see particular nods to the brilliant Monnaie de Paris series, ‘From Clovis to Republic’, but on a much more impressive scale. One of our favourite bullion releases of the year so far, especially in silver form.

2024 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

The latest coin features a controversial figure, General George S. Patton. Known for his hard-charging attitude, he was also a massive self-publicist. He fought in many theatres of the Second World War, from North Africa, through Sicily, and in France through D-Day. He performed admirably, even though controversy seemed to follow him wherever he went. A worthy choice for the series, regardless.

It’s another fine looking design, especially in silver, and the likeness seems good. It’s available in all three sizes, and there’s a version with a superb looking poster, although we can’t see how big it is, and it adds some $60 to the coin price.

2024 GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON

This is to be a 12-coin series, so we thought we’d have a bit of speculation on who else might appear on future issues. Everyone will have bias, hence there are a few British commanders on my list, but also quite a few we’d consider almost certain to put in an appearance. There are lots of others, of course, and it will be great to see how diverse the choices are, given this will likely be seen through a strongly US perspective. Leave your suggestions in the comments, as I’m sure Scottsdale Mint will be interested.

OTHER POTENTIAL COMMANDERS

01: ALEXANDER THE GREAT – A no-brainer for this series, both well-known, and universally admired.

02: JULIUS CAESAR – Another dead-cert for inclusion, his military success is unquestioned.

03: HANNIBAL BARCA – Almost destroyed the Roman Empire, he faltered at the final step, and was beaten by Scipio Africanus.

04: KING ALFRED THE GREAT – Against the odds, beat back the Danes and set England on the path to consolidation.

05: CHARLES MARTEL – Frankish commander who halted Muslim expansion into Europe, and set up the Carolingian Dynasty.

06: GENGHIS KHAN – We reckon Genghis will definitely join this series, his exploits legendary.

07: ADMIRAL YI SUN-SIN – An outside choice, one of the greatest admirals of all time, defeating vastly superior Japanese fleets.

08: OLIVER CROMWELL – Created the New Model Army, brought professionalism to warfare, and deposed a monarchy.

09: JOHN CHURCHILL, DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH – Simply one of the greatest commanders in history.

10: GEORGE WASHINGTON – A leader of note, but not a skilled military tactician.

11: ARTHUR WELLESLEY, DUKE OF WELLINGTON – Another top level tactician and strategist, he fought a great commander, Napoleon.

12: ADMIRAL HORATIO NELSON – Legendary naval commander, whose wins at the Nile, and Trafalgar were pivotal to Napoleon’s defeat.

13: STONEWALL JACKSON – Or possibly Lee, Sherman or Grant, who also would fit the criteria for this range.

14: ADMIRAL TOJO HEIHACHIRO – His destruction of the Imperial Russian Fleet at Tsushima in 1905 was devastating.

15: GEORGI ZHUKOV – Through massive losses in men and material, he crushed German forces on the Eastern Front in WW2.

16: BERNARD MONTGOMERY – Cautious, but clinical, Montgomery was a first class strategist and tactician in WW2.

17: CHESTER NIMITZ – Commander of the US Pacific Fleet fighting Japan, his ran a superb campaign.

18: ANDREW CUNNINGHAM – British admiral, his exploits in the Mediterranean during WW2 were striking.

DENOMINATION COMPOSITION DIMENSION FINISH MINTAGE
100 LRD (Liberia) 155.5 g of 0.9999 silver 65.0 mm Proof-like 4,999
1,000 LRD (Liberia) 3.11 g of 0.9999 gold 16.5 mm Proof-like 10,000
10,000 LRD (Liberia) 31.1 g of 0.9999 gold 32.0 mm Proof-like 2,000