It’s been two years since Germania Mint debuted its ‘Witchcraft’ bullion coin series, and the bi-annual series has finally launched its second issue. This is a series that fits into the mints Germanic World range of coins, a clever concept that features multiple themes, all related to the ancient peoples of Germania, which covered much of modern Germany, Poland and more. It’s an expertly built numismatic world, and they’ve been quite adventurous with the styles and finishes.

The obvious standout of this series is the octagonal shape, but outside that, the coins are very much in keeping with the range as a whole. The first coin featured a Seeress, a diviner of the future, a healer, and a bastion against evil spirits. She was depicted in a forest habitat, and so it is with The Herbalist, the second coin. Again, she’s a beautiful forest woman, carrying a wooden staff, and adorned with jewellery representing her station. Just like the 2023 coin, the squirrel, Ratatosk, can be seen in the background, a messenger that runs along the branches of the world tree, Yggdrasil in Norse mythology.

The obverse is also custom for each release, and while the base layout is similar, the details are different. The six runic symbols around the rim, are different to those on Seeress, and the dragons, and the symbols in the centre of the face, are also different. Little touches like these elevate a coin, in my opinion, and Germania often do this. The bullion variant, pictured below, has a mintage of 10,000, and comes encapsulated, and with a certificate. Some of my own images are there as well, based on a sample we received.

As the first issue, there are a pair of higher-end variants. The first of them is what the mint calls their ‘Ritual’ version, and this is an antiqued version of the bullion coin, with some well-chosen gilded highlights. It’s a combination the modern coin world is deeply familiar with, and for good reason, as the contrast is strong, and they work well together.

The mintage of this one is just 1,000 pieces, and it comes in some nice themed packaging, with a serialised certificate of authenticity. Again, I’ve photographed a sample coin. We’ll have better results after the holiday, when I finally set a space aside to set up proper lighting, but they do show a fine design off.

A third variant, for which we only have a couple of official images at present, will be a two-ounce, ultra-high-relief coin, rocking a 55 mm diameter, and an antique finish. The big difference here is a wider view of the figure, showing her in full. There’s also a UV colouring in the background, that looks very pretty, imparting depth, and an inset purple amethyst, that can be seen on both the obverse and the reverse face. This top version comes in a wooden box, and looks to be the finest of the three variants, and the rarest, at just 500 pieces.

To sum up, one of my favourite series in the Germanic World range, they have balanced mintages, a great design, and the octagonal shape makes them stand out in the overall range. The Herbalist maintains the high standard, and is available to pre-order now.