Niue’s Classic Harry Potter coin series continues with Albus Dumbledore, the wizard headmaster

The New Zealand Mint are diving deeper into J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ universe with their latest addition to their ‘Classic’ range of proof coins. They already have their popular movie poster reproduction coins, and House Banner foils, and we’ve already seen a Hogwarts and Railway coins in this series, but this is the first release that focuses on an individual character, if you discount the oddity of the Chibi coin.

Albus Dumbledore is the surprising, but welcome first choice, the mint resisting the temptation to do yet another Harry Potter or Hermione coin. It looks to be a good image of the character, as portrayed by Michael Gambon, and looks to be highly recognisable. Following the trend set by the extensive Star Wars Classic range, these are cleanly struck, and unadorned proof finish coins, issued for Niue (so just the effigy of QEII on the obverse).

Equally, the same trio of formats is back again, the NZ Mint long ago having found the sizes most desired by the market. The gold comes in one-ounce (250 mintage) and ¼-ounce (500), with the silver sticking solely to the hugely popular one-ounce format (5,000). The two larger coins carry identical designs, but like a few of the Star Wars issues, the small gold coin is modified slightly. In this case, the difference is very small, limited to just a mild cropping, thus enlarging to allow a better use of the smaller canvas. You can see it below.

Each coin is well presented in a quality wooden box, with a seralised Certificate of Authenticity, all wrapped up in a neatly themed shipper. It’s hard to fault this mint for its packaging, which is almost universally well realised. A good release for the Harry Potter fan, and one that by its choice of format, should also be of interest to the more traditional coin collector. Available now, with the next Potter release from the mint being a return to Chibi.

ALBUS PERCIVAL WULFRIC BRIAN DUMBLEDORE

Considered the most powerful wizard in the world, Dumbledore is benevolent and wise, a good wizard in the style of Merlin. He exudes an aura of serenity and composure, rarely displaying intense emotions of anger or fear. Yet despite his benign nature, it is said that Dumbledore is the only wizard Lord Voldemort ever truly feared. Dumbledore is very eccentric and even slightly effeminate; he is very fond of knitting patterns and frequently wears flamboyant clothing (at one point, he is seen wearing a flowered bonnet). He is also known for his odd displays of whimsicality; he often uses humour to make people feel comfortable in his presence. As a supremely talented wizard, Dumbledore displays numerous examples of extraordinary powers. His abilities as a wizard are combined with a kind of cunning and subtlety of mind that allowed him to comprehend human nature and turn the better aspects of humanity (trust, love, and friendship) to Voldemort’s disadvantage in particular.

More than anything else, Dumbledore has a deep capacity for love, frequently reminding Harry that love was the greatest magic of all. Dumbledore believes in the good in everyone and insists on giving second chances. The greatest example of this is Dumbledore’s relationship with Snape, in whom Dumbledore is willing to place a considerable amount of faith because he showed remorse. Dumbledore is highly perceptive and emotionally intelligent; his knowledge of a person’s true personality goes beyond simply being a good judge of character. This is never more apparent than in his complex insights into Voldemort’s psyche, which he pieces together with Harry to deduce where Voldemort’s horcruxes are hidden.(WIKIPEDIA)

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $250 NZD $25 NZD $2 NZD
COMPOSITION 0.9999 gold 0.9999 gold 0.999 silver
WEIGHT 31.1 grams 7.78 grams 31.1 grams
DIMENSIONS 32 mm 22 mm 40 mm
FINISH Proof Proof Proof
MODIFICATIONS None None None
MINTAGE 250 500 5,000
BOX / C.O.A. Yes / Yes Yes / Yes Yes / Yes