Since 2015, US based bullion producer Scottsdale Mint has greatly increased its selection of low-run bullion coins, particularly those struck in silver. Nature coins have always been popular in this market – witness the Perth Mint’s iconic range – and the addition of lower mintage designs has diversified the market.

One of the first of this new breed was the Congo Silverback Gorilla range, which debuted as a 1oz silver coin with a 50,000 mintage, the coin had a great design, and its popularity led to it growing into a fully fledged series, and a staple of the bullion calendar. There have been a couple of proof coloured variants, a solitary 1kg giant, and some gold in later years, but the one-ounce silver has been the bedrock of the range.

There’s a strong design commonality in this series. An ethnic-style border surrounds an image of one of these amazing animals, with the date and composition inscribed at the bottom, and the series name at the top. The obverse has remained common throughout – easily done as the date of issue is placed on the reverse face. It features the emblem/coat-of-arms of the Republic of the Congo, a state on the mid-western coast of Africa. It’s actually one that suits the coin theme perfectly well. The issuer and denomination are inscribed here.

Sold in a capsule, or in strips of five, the Congo Silverback is competitively priced on issue, thus maintaining a healthy attraction to stackers keen to gamble on a semi-numismatic ‘bump’ in value. For 2022, a tenth-ounce gold variant was added, but in 2023, the series was put on hiatus, although not cancelled.