Hide and Seek has one of the infamous Plague Doctors for its central character, complete with that ‘beaked’ mask that was filled with sweet smelling substances that were meant to neutralise the disease spread by ‘miasma’. They were almost completely ineffective, of course, and were not actually a thing in medieval times, but rather an early 17th creation, used by doctors trying to prevent the spread of the disease. Their current iconic status stems from the Covid epidemic, where they became a popular meme.

The mask on the coin is white, which is commonly used in the Carnival of Venice for entirely different reasons. No such pretence here, however, confirmed by the preponderance of rats in the background, a clear sign of bubonic plague. It’s a fanciful depiction, quite dramatic, with a light steampunk influence on the spectacles. The colour, and especially the gilding, are well realised, and it’s my favourite of the three coins here.

The renders hint at some colouring on the rim, possibly to represent light from the lantern, but that may just be from the render. We don’t see samples, so I can’t tell for sure, but it’s a nice touch if present. The obverse is the producers common, and very pretty, design. Buyers of their earlier Headless Horseman, and Memento Mori coins will find much to like here.

Silver Shoes is the second release in a collaboration with Oz Bullion, and it follows Passage to Oz, which was released in late 2024. Making a nice change from the norm, this series is not themed around the imagery popularised in the famous 1939 film, but rather takes a more direct inspiration from the actual 1900 book by L. Frank Baum, which was illustrated by W. W. Denslow. This obviously gives T&S greater flexibility as the film cut quite a bit from the book, and altered the tone somewhat. Apparently, as I can’t say I’ve read the books or seen the film! No car chases or kung-fu . . .

The scene with the shoes is said to be an important one, and looks well-balanced and colourful. The renders seem a little cruder than usual, but we’d suspect there’s some good high-relief on this one not shown here. The earlier coin was impressive in that regard. That excellent obverse design returns on this second release. One for the Oz fan for sure.

The Greek Goddess of Justice, Themis, (her name meaning ‘divine law’), was a Titan, one of the twelve children of Gaia and Uranus. She was the second wife of Zeus, and believed to be the personification of ‘justice, divine order, fairness, law, and custom’. As with many Greek deities, Themis transitioned to later cultures, such as Ancient Rome, where she was known as Iustitia, and it could be argued that Themis herself, was a later version of the Egyptian goddess Maat, or even Isis.

Themis is also the fourth in the Divine Beauty series, which started in 2023 with Fortuna, before progressing through Artemis and Hera on the way here. She is depicted with her scales and sword of justice, sitting on a low column in the Greek style, in front of which are Greek warrior items. The background is also very Ancient Greek, exemplified by the Parthenon in the background. She is blindfolded, interestingly a 16th century addition to her lore, and not an Ancient Greek thing.

The colouring is beautifully chosen, as is the gilding, and the background is a fine setting. It’s the least original theme here, but an excellent design regardless. That stylish common obverse is back. A fine addition to a quality series that seems to sell out every time.