We’re starting off with a very unusual coin released just a couple of hours ago, from Roman producer/dealer, Powercoin. Mimicking a small Rubik’s Cube, but done in an alternating black and silver pattern, this remains a fully denominated coin regardless. It isn’t fully functional, of course, but the top section, adorned with Powercoin’s logo, does rotate as a nod to the concept.

There isn’t much more to say, really. It looks to be a superb homage to one of the most iconic toys ever created. We haven’t seen packaging images yet, but Powercoin never disappoint in that regard. It does help cement this producer’s reputation for innovative releases, and broad choice of theme in bringing them to life. Available today, it has a mintage of 499 pieces.

Quite simply one of the most iconic statues in human history, the Statue of Liberty, gifted by France to the United States in 1886, sits in New York harbour. Sculpted by French national, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel, it depicts the Roman goddess, Libertas, carrying a tabula ansata, and a torch. Broken chains lay at her feet.

This coin, produced by MDM, and exclusively distributed by GR Reserve, is quite simply a reproduction of the statue in miniature, formed in five ounces of fine silver, it’s a terrific interpretation, right down to the gilded ‘flame’. We can see the colour dividing some opinions, but that is basically what it looks like today. We’d love to see a ‘Special Edition’ done with copper plating, to show what it looked like over 120 years ago.

The base carries the coin inscriptions, as this is fully denominated. It comes in a neat display case, and 499 will be cast.

The works of Jules Verne, the 19th century French novelist, have been a popular subject in modern numismatics, and in May 2022, the classic story, Around the World in 80 Days, got its time in the spotlight with a fine, three ounce silver coin. That series, now with Asturmint, continues with a second release, following Phileas Fogg on his journey.

While that first coin showed us the part of the trip in India, this second issue has moved us forward to the United States, and his epic journey across the continent by train. The scene depicted is of Fogg and Passepartout running to get on the train, chased by Sioux warriors, who had kidnapped his sidekick. It’s a terrific scene, better than the first coin, in my view, successfully encapsulating the adventurous, and often humorous nature of the book. The colouration is subdued, and superbly realised, never overpowering the design. The antique finish looks just perfect.

The obverse is a common one, but that doesn’t mean dull, as it features many of the modes of transport that Fogg used on his epic trip around the globe. Packaging is themed, and of a good quality, and for me at least, this is a coin that deserves to be popular.

Continuing the precedent set by the first release in this series, The Sword of St. Michael, Coin’s Today are releasing a pair of gilded variants of the second issue, the Sword of St. Gabriel. As before, these are identical in every regard to the source design, with the exception of gilded highlighting in one of two styles.

There will be 500 done in tradition yellow gold, and another 500 using rose gold. What you prefer is a matter of taste, Best of all, each will come in a custom display case, with the four coins in this series locking together to form a monolithic display piece. A great idea that looks to work well. I’d love a set of these, two rose gilded, and two yellow. For those interested, the third issue is already out in standard form, and is the Halberd of St. Raphael, which is going to look awesome in enhanced form. Sadly, the display cases are not available separately for earlier buyers of ungilded versions, but we hope they change their mind on that.

This one came as a bit of a surprise to us, and it’s a subject that doesn’t get anything like as much coverage as it deserves. America’s Wild West is a rich source of inspiration, full of stories from all walks of life, and none evoke more excitement than the shoot-outs between cowboys. This first issue in a new series called ‘Wild West’ is simply titled ‘Cowboy Duel’, although why it wasn’t called ‘Gunfight at the Ag Corral’ is a mystery to me…

The design is very clever, with each face of the coin depicting the gunfight from a different combatant’s viewpoint. The first thing that strikes is the way the background has been expertly adjusted to suit those viewpoints, something we’d imagine would be quite easy to get wrong. The key design feature is the bullet hole through the coin. On one side, it’s seen in the stomach of the loser, but on the obverse, it’s set to one side of the victor – a miss.

The gilded pistols weren’t really necessary, in my opinion, but they don’t detract from the overall design, which is really quite excellent, full of detail, and with an expert use of high relief and perspective. Well packaged, it’s a fine debut.

This is an odd one, so we’ll let the producer do the talking. “In the azure expanse of the ocean lived an extraordinary sea turtle named Koa, who had an enchanted castle perched on his back. Within the castle lived the wise sea wizard Cedric, who dedicated his existence to maintaining the delicate balance of the ocean.

One morning, when Koa was basking on the surface, the calm waters were marred by a strange and sinister darkness rapidly spreading across the sea. Identifying the source of gloom to be caused by the rogue sorcerer Wraith, who cast dark magic to corrupt the ocean and dominate the marine creatures, Cedric had to perform a powerful cleansing ritual which required Koa to swim toward the affected area where the pollution was most severe. Koa used his powerful flippers to hurry to the location and endured the toxic contamination, while Cedric continued with his incantation.

Finally, a brilliant wave of light erupted from the castle and swept through the polluted waters. Cedric’s knowledge and Koa’s steadfastness had saved the ocean from a grave threat. While the story of the duo’s triumph against the dark sorcerer became a legend to the ocean inhabitants, Koa and the enchanted castle continued to sail on. The ocean, now clear and thriving, would forever be protected by the guardians who are ever vigilant in their quest to safeguard the wonders of the deep.”

It’s an unusual coin, with a powerful message (no doubt one ignored by the dumbass population of this planet), and one quite unlike anything else here. I really like what it’s doing, and appreciate that the market is wide enough to support designs like these. Just 199 will be struck.