The first Tribal Spirit coin features that most fearsome of the Native American tribes, the Comanche. In these days of woke reimagining of the past, it’s easy to see the Comanche as simply a persecuted group, almost wiped out by the European settlers, but the truth is, these were a proud and brutal people, The Comanche lived to hunt, and they lived to fight, fully integrating the horse into their culture, after its introduction by the Spanish.

Torture, massacre, and extreme violence were all tools of the trade for the five main Comanche bands, and they were constantly in conflict with other tribes, having a particular hatred for the Apache, and the Pawnee, amongst others, almost wiping out the Apache. They built an empire of over 250,000 square miles, successfully resisting the French and the Spanish, both huge empires at the time. It was British settlers, later the American government, that finally broke them, after a 40-year war with Texas.

The coin is a superb encapsulation of that spirit, certainly the point of the coin, depicting a Comanche chief smoking a pipe, while mounted warriors charge in the background. A neat background pattern rounds it all out. There’s some beautiful detailing here, the chief in particular, looking quite sublime. A two-ounce silver coin, the lack of colour and gimmickry is very welcome, and this is a super debut for what could be an intriguing series.

Petra, also called the Rose City after the stone into which it is carved, is famous for its rock-cut architecture and to a lesser extent, Its water conduit system. Located in the southern Jordanian governorate of Ma’an, it was established as early as 312 BCE as the capital city of the Nabataeans and was home to around 30,000 people at its peak. Surrounded by towering hills of sandstone, which gave the city some natural protection against invaders, it was for centuries the meeting point of the main routes used by camel caravans transporting spices between the Mediterranean and the Near East, Africa and India.

Petra is most famous for its buildings cut directly into the rock by hand, encompassing temples, caves and tombs. Most iconic of all is a building called the Treasury, which was likely built as a mausoleum during the first century AD reign of Aretas IV Philopatris. While it is extravagantly decorated on the exterior facade, the interior is exceptionally plain.

Fortunately, TWC have chosen that iconic facade for the coin, and the decision to include some of the surrounding cliff-face is an inspired one, really highlighting the unique nature of this structure. Other than the title, ‘PETRA’, that’s all that is on this face, and we’re very pleased that is the case. The high-relief is perfectly employed, and we can find nothing to pick fault with here. It’s a five-ounce coin, so obviously pricier than the other two coins, and the only one issued for Ghana, rather than Cameroon, hence the effigy of King Charles III.

The Nativity is actually the second in this series, following the earlier Garden of Eden, from which the complex, common obverse is drawn from. The series is called Bible Stories, which given the preponderance of issues with this theme, is obviously a popular one. Depicting Mary and Joseph in the stable with the baby Jesus (definitely not Brian…), it could almost be thought of as TWC’s entry into the Christmas coin market.

It’s certainly an impressive strike, with a fine use of high-relief, and plenty of neat touches. That common obverse is, likewise, packed to the gills with details, and the whole thing is one of the more attractive festive releases, and ambitious biblical ones. A series to watch, for the religious leaning collector.