John Mercanti Wedge-tailed Eagle bullion coin is back with a family view for 2018

One of the hits of 2014, the Perth Mints Wedge-tailed Eagle silver bullion coin surprised us all with news that it was to be designed by none other than John Mercanti, the former Chief Engraver at the United States Mint. The first time that Mercanti had worked on a non-US issued design, it was a quiet beautiful piece of work, no doubt honed by years of practice working with eagle designs in the US. In 2016, a new design was produced for the series that was equally popular and was also used for two successive years.

We knew a new design was due for 2018, but this time around we’re told it will only be used for a single year. We’ve had an eagle in flight and an eagle perching, but this time we’ve got a family. A chick being guarded by an adult, while another comes in to land is a busier piece of art and a nice change from the previous years. The obverse is the same Ian Rank Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

Available as a one-ounce silver coin, in 0.9999 finenesss for the first time, the mintage is set at 50,000 pieces as it has been in previous years. Struck in the Perth Mints usual reverse-proof look, thus is another striking piece in a series that has proven very popular, although prices don’t rise to the levels of the 2014 original. The coin will be available at all the usual dealers around the world, including from the mint directly.

In addition to the bullion variant there are some ultra high-relief versions to come, currently being sold at GovMint. A one-ounce silver, and one or two-ounce gold versions are on sale. Most of them are sadly slabbed, but the silver one is available in oem packaging at a reasonable price. The Perth Mint will have their own release of the coin soon. Another great design in what is proving to be a fine series of bullion coins.