T&S Coin’s ‘World of Stories’ silver coin series showcases the fevered imagination of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland

First published back in 1865, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense genre. Written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, it tells of a girl named Alice falling through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures. The tale plays with logic, giving the story lasting popularity with adults as well as with children. The book was illustrated by John Tenniel, famous for his political cartoons in the latter half of the 19th century, for which he became the first illustrator to be knighted

Its narrative course and structure, characters and imagery have been enormously influential in both popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre. Now one of those novels with near universal recognition, it’s constantly in print in multiple languages, and has spawned myriad forms in other media, including a much-loved Disney animated movie, and more recent CGI-heavy live action films headlined by Johnny Depp.

We waxed lyrical about the first coin in this series, ‘Don Quixote’, and for good reason, as it was one of the very best designs issued by T&S in 2025, and I’m pleased to say that come December, I’ll be saying the same about this second coin. The basis here is again, a hat, this time worn by the Cheshire Cat from the novel. The grinning feline looks out from below the brim, with its coloured eye becoming a focal point for the observer. Above the hat, which doubles as the chess board from the book, we see a coloured Alice falling into a hole to continue her adventures.

The rest of the reverse face is packed with imagery from the book, including the pocket watch, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, the Tweedle twins, and Absalom, the hookah-smoking caterpillar. It’s no mean feat to collect all this imagery into a single composition, but they’ve done it faultlessly. The pretty common obverse returns. Alice in Wonderland is no stranger to the coin world, but personally, this is easily my favourite numismatic homage to date, and a first-class coin. T&S Coin’s best series? Available to order now, this one comes boxed with a COA, and has a mintage of 500.