Released in January as part of their Winter Launch, William Wallace was the first in the Legends of Battlefield series of two-ounce silver coins, and we were very impressed with its design. The second coin stays in the the British Isles with the legendary Richard the Lionheart, who remains an iconic figure in English history,

Born in Oxford, the third of five sons for Henry II, Richard became king in 1189, ruling for a decade before his death at the age of 42. He was part of the Plantagenet dynasty, and also ruled almost half of what is now France. He rarely set foot in England, preferring to campaign in the Crusades and the wider Mediterranean. He occupied Sicily, conquered Cyprus, and repeatedly defated the Muslim forces of Saladin, although the capture of Jerusalem was just out of reach. Returning home to quell unrest, he was captured and ransomed by the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI. After he was released, he spent the rest of his life warring in France, where he died, shot with a crossbow by a young boy.

The coin depicts Richard on horseback, carrying a sword. It’s a fantastic depiction, which continues our assertion that Mint XXI is top of the pile for historical depictions on coins. The background is filled with a coloured depiction of the Great Seal of Richard I, now incredibly famous as the Royal Arms of England, with its three lions passant-guardant. A single gilded lion rampant sits on a shield at the bottom. The common obverse returns. An outstanding release by any standard, and a good indicator that this series may be one of Mint XXI’s very best.

Also the second coin in a series, Queen’s Gambit continues the Chess Battle series that debued as part of last years Summer Launch. The same gilded chessboard sits in the centre, providing anice contrast to the foreground, with has a black rearing horse to the left, with the Queen pushing a pawn into battle on the right.

This is another beautiful piece, dripping with chess imagery, and with little details liberally scattered throughout. The same obverse as the 2025 coin returns, and its a rare issue for Niue, instead of Mnt XXI’s usual Samoa or Cameroon. Terrific coin.

We seem to be on a pattern here, with this third release also being the second coin in its series, and yet again, what a series it is! Amber Mirage is a nature series, combining the flora of a familiar environment, with one of its small inhabitants. The first coin had a wildflower meadow and a dragonfly. Here, it’s a similar environment, but with different species of both.

The bulk of the coin is given over to a dense composition of ferns and flowers, with a small nod to the first coin, in the form of an airborne dragonfly, above it. The same gilded silver, but with a subtle, coloured wash, is back again, and is extraordinarily effective. I’m normally not a huge gilded fan, finding the yellow metal often loses some of the fine details present, but nothing like that applies with this one.

The signature feature of his series is a small ring-fenced, and amber-filled circle, looking almost like the lens of a magnifying glass. Inside it is a small lizard, captured in the acts of living its life. A quite gorgeous addition to a brilliant range. Also one with a common obverse, it’s gilded here, but not coloured.

Following the Bison and the Bear, the third ‘Patterns of the World’ coin is the Indian Elephant. Created by the clever use of coloured ‘beads’ the subject seems particularly well suited to this animal, as the style looks distinctly Indian. One of the most unique looks for coins being issued today, it’s also an attractive one, clearly having a lot of attention paid to the fine details, as the way the beading flows to form the subject is quite exquisite, enhanced with high-relief.

The base coin is antiqued, including the common obverse, and there’s the signature glyph of the subject animal in the background, nicely integrated with the main design. A simple idea in theory, but one obviously quite involved to bring to life so expertly. Very imaginative.

One of the mints older series, Cyborg represents the fourth release in a range that seeks to highlight the duality in various people and myths. The cyborg is a classic example, with the cold calculating merging of electronics, with the emotional human side. It’s always seemed to be a trope of science-fiction, but for the first time, we can actually imagine that this is a path that humanity is actually on. Can’t say it seems particularly appealing, but what do I know…

The coin utilises high-relief, and is split thematically down the centre, with everything technified to the left, including the close environment, and the wider world outside the window. To the right, everything is natural. The way the two sides meet is expertly realised, with no jarring changes. The cyborg holds a gilded lightbulb, said to be a focal point between the two sides. Anice addition to an intriguing series.

A legend of Northern Europe, Harald Hardrada is considered one of the Vikings greatest warriors, holding the throne of Norway for twenty years until 1066, he succesfully unified the country for a time, but failed to take Denmark, and most famously, was defeated by Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, in his attempt to take England. Harold went on shortly after to lose the English crown to William the Conqueror. Hardrada’s death is widely seen to be the defining act that ended the Viking Age.

Hardrada’s coin is the penultimate one in this twelve-coin series, and it’s been a series that has exceeeded expectations, surpassing their earlier ‘Great Greek Mythology’ range in my view. High-relief, with a single coloured element over an antique finish, this is one of Mint XXI’s best ranges of coins, we think. The pretty common obverse continues on. Just a single coin to come now. We’ll definitely have a Coin Series Profile of this series up in the next month or two.

Lunar coins have been a huge part of the numismatic calendar for long before AgAuNEWS was a thing, and the range of styles and formats is huge. They seem to have become a little less popular of late, and Mint XXI are probably sensible to have kept their offering in an affordable half-ounce silver format. The coin is gilded and coloured, depicting a goat and mountains in a traditional Chinese style of art, with some great colouring.

This is the first in a 12-coin series, and while the subject is an old one, the implementation at this price point looks good. The obverse is suitably themed, and one we suspect will apply to all of the coins.