A Norse maiden, a naval captain, a lucky pussy, and an undead pope, means it can only be Mint of MK
One of the most innovative and quirky producers out there, Mint of MK is also quite prolific, regularly releasing a coin every week or so, rather than in tranches. They keep us busy here, and we try to cover as many of them as we can, hence here we are, enjoying four of the new coins released over the last few weeks, and it’s another esoteric selection of styles and themes. All of them come boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, and should be available to order now.
The first offering is the most unusual visually, and with the Chinese New Year almost upon us, likely to find plenty of buyers who recognise the symbolism. However, the Lucky Fortune Cat, also called the Maneki-Neko, is of Japanese origin, dating back several centuries, and symbolises the wish for good luck and good fortune, something sure to resonate more in these more difficult times.
The smile and raised paws are said to attract wealth and prosperity, offering a welcome presence to customers of businesses that often have one of these standing outside their premises. The coins represent abundance, and the red accents are said to protect against misfortune. As with many Asian cultural icons, the Maneki-Neko is packed with symbolism.
It’s also a charming thing to have on display in its own right, and the coin manages to capture all of that charm. It’s shaped, and exhibits some impressive high-relief on both faces, but the two-ounce weight keeps the size good. The coin is coloured white, and has red and gilded highlights, again, on both faces.
The coin has a mintage of 888 pieces, the number 8 having a significant association with luck in Asian culture, and they’re sold in what MK calls a blind box. This is basically a sealed box in which you cannot see the contents, and the reason for this is that there will also be 199 fully gilded coins randomly mixed in. These keep the red highlights, but the white colour is gone. You won’t know which one you have until you open it. We prefer the white one, to be honest, but gold is particularly popular, so both are cool.
DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIAMETER | FINISH | MINTAGE |
2,000 Francs CFA (Cameroon) | 62.2 g of 0.999 silver | 45.0 x 42.0 mm | Colour or Gilded | 888 & 199 |
The first in a new series called Myths and Masters of the Seven Seas, the debut coin is called “The Commander of the Atlantic.” It depicts a naval captain in full dress uniform, complete with gilded epaulettes, and with aiguillettes (gilded rope cords) on one shoulder. In the background, as part of a seascape, sits a mid-20th century heavy warship. It’s a powerful naval scene, the officer exhibiting a look that tells of years of service in harsh conditions, and one that suggests a normal world.
The obverse face puts paid to that assumption, and the ship is enveloped in a Cthulhu-style horror of the deep, its gaping maw pushing out of the coin surface. Clearly not a normal world! The coin is also heavily enhanced with a pair of additions. The first is a thermal treatment, which you can see on the darker images above, and the second is a UV-sensitive enamel, which glows a sparkling blue, illuminating the night sky on the reverse face, and the mist and water on the obverse. The end result is suitably creepy and a great debut for the series.
DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIAMETER | FINISH | MINTAGE |
2,000 Francs CFA (Cameroon) | 62.2 g of 0.999 silver | 50.00 mm | Antique, Enamel, Gold foil, Ink | 199 |
This is the third in MK’s ‘Norse Blessing’ series, following Frigg, and Hel, although there was an earlier Freyja design that would fit in really well, and had a quite stunning obverse. This third coin depicts Sif, the goddess of the harvest, fertility, and growth, and depicts her surrounded by the fruits of her labour.
The reverse face is straight-up gorgeous. Mint of MK joins a small, select group of producers that can realise a truly superb human face. Sif here is stunning, and perfectly framed with leaves and fruits, some gilded, and some coloured, all over an antique finish. The high-relief is expertly utilised, and there’s a real sense of depth to it. It’s also thankfully devoid of intrusive inscriptions – it doesn’t need them.
The obverse is considerably simpler, but manages to remain suitably on point. As the goddess of the harvest, what better way to symbolise her than a field of wheat, the lifeblood of humanity in its early period of civilisation. On this face, everything is gilded, which manages to fit in perfectly with the scene of a sun-drenched field of crops. A really beautiful piece of numismatic art, and a terrific series overall.
DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIAMETER | FINISH | MINTAGE |
2,000 Francs CFA (Cameroon) | 62.2 g of 0.999 silver | 50.0 mm | Antique, Enamel, Ink | 199 |
Finally, we have the second in MK’s weird ‘Zombified’ series, following the Samurai coin released last year, and it’s another unusual twist on a pop-culture theme – after all, who doesn’t love a good zombie these days? The choice of a pope is certainly a quirky one, and the design buys fully into that aspect of it.
In the foreground, clad in a robe, and wearing a mitre hat, is a skeletal pope, bathed in a fiery internal UV glow, which they say ‘confronts viewers with the raw tension between spiritual ascendancy and
the inevitable erosion of all earthly forms. Against an ominous,
foreboding backdrop, the design evokes a profound meditation on the
fragility of faith in the face of relentless mortality.’ A skull and cross fill the background space.
The obverse almost looks like a view looking up at the ceiling of a stone building, in the centre of which sits the issue inscriptions around the shield of the Republic of Cameroon. It’s a dark and foreboding design, and the high-relief is well employed. A very unusual addition to this relatively new series. What’s next? A zombie politician perhaps, but then, who’d know the difference from reality these days…
DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
2,000 Francs CFA (Cameroon) | 62.2 g of 0.9999 silver | 50.0 mm | Antique, Enamel | 199 |
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