VIDEOGAMES ON COINS: A multi-mint round-up of gaming and numismatics Video games have grown from the weird little hobby of the far-sighted few, to a mainstream juggernaut that drawfs the movie and music industries. It’s easy to understand why. Other forms of entertainment generally involve soaking up someone else's vision, but gaming allows you to control the narrative personally, to a quite extraordinary degree in some modern titles. From early, pixelated beginnings, to today's AAA titles, video games have muscled in on the formerly sedate entertainment industries, with a huge variety of game types, like [...]

ARCHANGEL MICHAEL by the National Bank of Ukraine Not the most commonly known coin, but certainly one worthy of attention, the Archangel Michael is issued by the National Bank of Ukraine and is legal tender in that country. First issued in 2011 in one silver and two gold sizes, they were quickly followed up by two more gold fractionals the following year, to make a full five-coin range. One of the most powerful and respected figures in many religious teachings, the Archangel Michael is considered to be the patron saint and protector of both Ukraine [...]

TRAPPED (2019-) by CIT Coin Invest We have a particular fondness here for coin designs that do things quite differently from whatever the trend of the time is. In 2019, the ancient mythology theme was the darling of the coin world, and while some stunning designs were released in the genre, there was a basic underlying style to most of them. In the midst of that came CIT, with 'Trapped', with a concept and execution utterly unique. The series tells the claustrophobic tale of someone confined behind a fabric sheet, but they're not alone. From [...]

LIMITED NON-CORE BULLION COIN SERIES by the Perth Mint I think few would disagree with the observation that the last few years has seen a virtual explosion in new bullion coin releases. Whereas we used to have a base of big guns, like the American Eagle and the Maple Leaf, and a scattering of smaller mintage coins (Somali Elephant, Rwandan African Ounce, etc), we now have a huge selection of low mintage issues, often with attractive, annually changing designs. It's arguably the Perth Mint that laid the groundwork, with its combination of highish [...]

2019+ AFRICAN BIG FIVE by the South African Mint The African Big Five are a popular subject on coins and foils. Considered the five most dangerous animals on the continent for hunting on foot, each of them stand out in their environment, even the herbivores. The Llion, Leopard, Rhinoceros, Elephant, and Cape Buffalo are all quite capable of killing humans and frequently do. The Cape Buffalo in particular, seems to have a mean streak a mile wide. The Big Five bullion coin programme was meant to be a simple, but quite intense one. Starting [...]

LIMITED SILVER BULLION SERIES by Scottsdale Mint One of the most prolific and inventive producers of silver and gold bullion coins today, Scottsdale Mint release a wide range of such coins, mostly with a relatively restricted mintage, and most with a design that changes for every issue. Keeping up with the various series and individual issues is a task in itself, so we've put together this overview of the output of legal tender bullion coins from the last few years. Now, this isn't a full on Bullion Coin Profile that we do elsewhere, and [...]

2017+ MYTHS AND LEGENDS SERIES by Numiscollect While the sheer prolific nature of the Mint of Poland's numerous ancient world themed coin series is in a league of its own, they have plenty of competition on the quality front. Chief amongst them is Numiscollect who, in conjunction with CIT and BH Mayer, produce some of the best coins ever issued in the genre. There are currently four series in progress, three of them quite close in concept and execution, with a smaller 2oz range showcasing the artifacts used by the various gods. All are [...]

HARRY POTTER: A multi-mint overview of the Wizarding World on coins It was with some surprise that i noticed Harry Potter coins appearing from just about everywhere. It;s a popular franchise as we know, but one that has been fairly quiet over the last couple of years, with just the occasional Fantastic Beasts movie keeping it alive. So what's been going on? No idea! We felt it was time to get a grip on what is out there and from where, given the obvious popularity of it, but it turned into a far bigger task [...]

STAR WARS: An overview of the New Zealand Mint range from 2016 to date It was in 2016 that the New Zealand Mint announced it had obtained the licence to produce coins based on the Star Wars movie universe. It had already been issuing coins for Disney, and Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm meant it was only a small step from there to Star Wars. As a universe rich with characters and worlds, there are plenty of subjects for coins and the mint has taken full advantage of that. The offerings cover proof coins in gold [...]

ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY: An overview of Mint of Poland struck 2oz high-relief coins Ironically raised to popularity by the Perth Mint with its debut Gods of Olympus series, the ancient world coin genre has taken to the two-ounce, antique-finished, rimless, high-relief silver coin format like no other. Although employed by several producers, it is the Mint of Poland that has made, not only the most numerous, but also the best use of this excellent compromise between weight and cost with a range of, quite frankly, stunning issues. There are numerous series currently in progress, with [...]