Modern cinema is a large part of the current numismatic world, with everything from Marvel and DC, to Harry Potter and Jurassic Park, garnering multiple new issues, but sadly, the early days of cinema are almost completely neglected. The Mint of Poland is attempting to inject some life into the genre with its new ‘Silent Film Classics’ four-coin series, to be released at approximately four-month intervals, each weighing a troy ounce.

The first of the four is an absolute classic of early cinema, and based around Bram Stoker’s Dracula – Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. Directed by F. W. Murnau, and starring Max Schreck as the eponymous vampire, it premiered in 1922, and rapidly became a classic, except in Sweden, apparently, where it was banned until 1972! Schreck’s portrayal is remembered to this day, and one of the most recognisable performances of the silent age of cinema. It’s recently been remade, to much critical acclaim, by Robert Eggers, and is well worth a watch.

We only have a line render of the reverse face at present, but it looks highly promising, and the scene is fantastic, in my opinion. It successfully captures the essence of the film, and the little splatter of red colour is a nice touch. The obverse, almost certainly one common to all four coins, features a view of the covered screen in a cinema, and the inscribed ‘THE END’ is appropriate. For me, this is an outstanding depiction, and one unlikely to be too expensive, given it eschews most modern numismatic embellishments, like ultra-high-relief, for example.

It comes in a latex-skin frame, inside a themed slipcover, and has a mintage capped at 500 pieces. The next coin will feature another absolute legend of early cinema, 1927s ‘Metropolis’, and that will be followed by the 1902 ‘A Trip to the Moon’, and the 1921 Chaplin comedy, ‘The Kid’. A fine line-up indeed.