Called Mint Trading Coins, they basically take the age-old swapping idea from baseball and bubblegum cards, and applies it to silver coins. Each range consists of 51 coins depicting characters from a specific media franchise. So far, we had Star Wars as the first series, and Marvel Comics as the second, with DC Comics dropping as the first of 2024.

So far, of the set of 51 coins, 50 are one-ounce silver, with one a quarter-ounce gold. The coins are sold in a sealed black box which contains two coins. However, the contents are randomly placed, so you will get whatever you get, with no choice. We have concerns about the concept, and the reality remains that these are a speculators dream, and a collector’s nightmare. We said that the aftermarket would erupt with high prices, and that has indeed turned out to be the case. If you want a specific coin, be prepared to pay, as even the commonest of them are selling for above issue price, and that was an issue price 50% higher than the mint norm.

The silver coins are divided into five lots of ten, with mintages varying, and we’ve broken them out below. The five levels are ‘Limited’ (250 mintage per design), ‘Uncommon’ (150), ‘Scarce’ (50), ‘Rare’ (30), and ‘Ultra-Rare’ (20). The last level, ‘Mythic’ is the gold coin, with just 10 of those mixed in. The image above shows a silver and a gold coin in the box, but don’t forget that no more than 10 of the 2505 available boxes will be like this.

As for the coins themselves, we’re impressed with the designs. The artwork is varied, and well-chosen, featuring a mix of styles and artists that encapsulate the intended franchise perfectly. The presentation is first class, and overall, we find little to fault with the product itself, just with the sales concept. It would go some way if the mint perhaps offered the coins as a set, or individually in a different format, something like half-ounce, for example, that would allow traditional collectors a chance to get them. Kudos to the mint for trying something new. It remains to be seen if it remains successful in the longer term.