LPM and the Royal Australian Mint debut the Redback Spider bullion coin in silver and gold

The new bullion coin releases are still coming thick and fast, with the latest piece from the Royal Australian Mint (RAM) and Hong-Kong-based LPM harking back to a numismatic classic of last decade. Released way back in 2006, the Perth Mint’s now iconic coloured Red-back Spider coin launched a new series called Deadly & Dangerous. That series is still going today, but has never managed another design so well lauded, despite some fine entrants in the ensuing 13 years.

This new coin is not related to that, and while taking some design cues from it, is a whole new piece of work. It’s equally impressive, especially for a bullion coin, and a far more impressive looking beast than the Perth Mint’s 2015 Funnel-Web Spider silver bullion coin, even if the actual subject of that one could eat this ones for a light snack!

The full-body spider sitting in a complex web has a good stab at showing depth and dimension, aided by the coin title being interwoven. Fortunately, just a reasonably unobtrusive composition inscription sits on this face, leaving the overall design to shine through. The obverse is an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, this one the new international uncouped version of Jody Clarks new one, taking over on RAM coins from the ubiquitous Ian Rank Broadley effort.

Two versions on offer. A 1oz 0.999 silver and a 1oz 0.9999 gold. These have become fairly standard in the bullion coin market of late, although we do feel there is room in the market opening up for more ¼oz gold coins, now that the price is rising. We’d also quite like to see a proof silver version, without colour, maybe high-relief. Available today from LPM, it’s another to add to our list of cool bullion coins hitting the market in 2019. Never been a better time to collect, if variety is your thing.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

In collaboration with The Royal Australian Mint, LPM is pleased to present the first release in a new series featuring the beautiful but potentially deadly Redback spider for precious metals investors and collectors alike. These coins are created to the Mint’s highest standards with guaranteed metal content and quality.

History & Significance Loved for its beauty and feared for its venom, the Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) can be found throughout Australia. They are especially common living among humans, where they build their webs in dark places in our homes and gardens. Redbacks are identified by the red stripe on their upper abdomen, and a distinctive hourglass-shaped spot on the underside of the abdomen. Redbacks build distinctive webs that look deceptively messy, but are magnificently engineered to catch the small invertebrates and animals.

Although Redbacks are feared for their venomous bite, Australia has had an antivenom since 1956, with no human fatalities recorded since then. Redbacks are not generally aggressive spiders, and most bites happen by accident. Nevertheless, the tendency of Redbacks to lurk in human homes and bite the unsuspecting has been immortalised in song and poetry in Australia. In spite of their reputation, Redbacks do have an important role to play in Australia’s biodiversity, both as insect predators and as prey.