The New Zealand Mint now seems to be knocking out limited run bullion coins with an increased vigour, almost all tied to one of the mints big name media licences, Disney or Star Wars. The last issue we covered for the latter franchise was the APMEXclusive ‘Mandalorian Mythosaur’, and this one is the latest under the Disney brand proper. Also an APMEXclusive (a large US coin dealer), it is the second Lion King coin after a debut issue in 2019, and is subtitled ‘Circle of Life’.

A popular film, so no doubt most of you will recognise the scene, and the design does a good job of incorporating the sunburst lines that are a signature element of many of these issues. The obverse is a bog standard effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, just as you would expect of a Niue bullion coin. Available as a one-ounce 0.999 silver, or a 0.9999 gold variant, with the former topping out at 25,000 pieces, and the latter at a tiny 250. An okay design overall, and one that will appeal to Disney fans, although for me, the competition out there means there are nicer designs on the market. The Disney name and that 250 mintage make the gold version quite appealing, however. Available to order from APMEX, with other dealers to follow, no doubt.