TWELVE ZODIAC SIGNS (2024-2025) by Mint of MK

Regular readers here will know of Mint of MK’s extraordinary 36-coin dragon series of high-relief coins, that comprised nine designs, each in four finishes. That series was issued remarkably quickly, and it was hinted that a new range was coming during our talks with them in Berlin, and it turned out to be the Zodiac.

This is a twelve-coin series of five-ounce silver coins, each of which will feature one of the Zodiac symbols. Each features a classic, high-relief design of the typical symbol, each enhanced with a very vibrant UV and enamel application.

As the light dims, you will see the background glow with clouds of colour, mainly blues and greens. This intensifies and star constellations spring to life. It’s the perfect way to use UV for this kind of subject, invoking both the spiritual nature of the zodiac, and its supposed ties to the deep sky. Easily the best coin of its type we’ve seen so far.

A rare Niue issue, it has a mintage capped at just 99 pieces. Half of those went directly to the Asian market, so the rest of the world will be fighting over just 49 coins. On the evidence here, it seems worth the effort.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARIES: THE RAM

ASTRONOMY: Constellation in the northern sky spanning the first 30 degrees of celestial longitude.

DATES: 21 March to 19 April

ASTROLOGY: Fire sign. Positive sign. Modality cardinal. Opposite is Libra. The ruling body is Mars.

MYTHOLOGY: Greeks based it on Chrysomallus, the flying ram that provided the Golden Fleece. Egyptian association with Amon.

ARIES GALLERY

TAURUS: THE BULL

ASTRONOMY: Constellation spans from 30 to 60 degrees of celestial longitude.

DATES: 20 April to 20 May

ASTROLOGY: Earth sign. Positive sign. Modality fixed. Opposite is Scorpio. The ruling body is Venus.

MYTHOLOGY: Established by the Mesopotamians as ‘The Great Bull of Heaven’. One of the first signs.

TAURUS GALLERY

GEMINI: THE TWINS

ASTRONOMY: The Constellation contains 85 stars visible to the naked eye, the two brightest being Castor and Pollux.

DATES: 21 May to 21 June

ASTROLOGY: Air sign. Positive sign. Modality mutable. Opposite is Sagittarius. The ruling body is Mercury.

MYTHOLOGY: In Babylonian, they were the Great Twins (Lugal-irra and Meslamta-ea). In Greek, Castor and Pollux.

GEMINI GALLERY

CANCER: THE CRAB

ASTRONOMY: The Constellation is medium-sized with faint stars. Ten stars have known planets, including one ‘Super-Earth’.

DATES: 22 June to 22 July

ASTROLOGY: Water sign. Negative sign. Modality cardinal. Opposite is Capricorn. The ruling body is the Moon.

MYTHOLOGY: In Egypt it was a scarab beetle, while in Mesopotamia, it was a turtle. The Greeks associated it with the crab.

CANCER GALLERY

LEO: THE LION

ASTRONOMY: The Constellation contains many bright stars, 9 visible to the naked eye. Star Trek favourite, Wolf 359, is in Leo.

DATES: 23 July to 22 August

ASTROLOGY: Fire sign. Positive sign. Modality fixed. Opposite is Aquarius. The ruling body is the Sun.

MYTHOLOGY: An early sign, dating back to Mesopotamia, 6,000 years ago. The Greeks associated it with the Nemean Lion.

LEO GALLERY

VIRGO: THE VIRGIN

ASTRONOMY: This Constellation is the largest, the Sun taking 44 days to pass. Some 35 exoplanets have been identified.

DATES: 23 August to 22 September

ASTROLOGY: Earth sign. Negative sign. Modality mutable. Opposite is Aquarius. The ruling body is Mercury.

MYTHOLOGY: The Babylonians called it ‘The Furrow’, and the Greeks associated it with Demeter, the goddess of agriculture.

VIRGO GALLERY

LIBRA: THE SCALES

ASTRONOMY: Located in the Southern celestial hemisphere, its brightest star is Beta Librae. Three star systems have planets.

DATES: 23 September to 23 October

ASTROLOGY: Air sign. Positive sign. Modality cardinal. Opposite is Aries. The ruling body is Venus.

MYTHOLOGY: The Babylonians called it ‘MUL Zibanu’, meaning ‘Claws of the Scorpion’. The Romans started the link to scales.

LIBRA GALLERY

SCORPIO: THE SCORPION

ASTRONOMY: Scorpius sits near the centre of the Milky Way. It includes a red supergiant,AH Scorpii, one of the biggest known stars.

DATES: 24 October to November 21

ASTROLOGY: Water sign. Negative sign. Modality fixed. Opposite is Taurus. The ruling body is Pluto (from 20thC).

MYTHOLOGY: The Babylonians called it ‘MUL.GIR.TAB’ (‘Scorpion’). The Greeks attributed it to Orion.

SCORPIO GALLERY

SAGITTARIUS: THE ARCHER

ASTRONOMY: The centre of the Milky Way lies in its westernmost region, and it’s densely packed with star clusters and nebulae.

DATES: 22 November to 21 December

ASTROLOGY: Fire sign. Positive sign. Modality mutable. Opposite is Gemini. The ruling body is Jupiter.

MYTHOLOGY: In Sumerian, its name translated as ‘Chief Ancestor’. The Greeks identified it as a human/horse Centaur.

SAGITTARIUS GALLERY

CAPRICORN: THE GOAT

ASTRONOMY: A faint constellation, it contains the galaxy group HGC 87, around 400 million light-years from Earth.

DATES: 22 December to 19 January

ASTROLOGY: Earth sign. Negative sign. Modality cardinal. Opposite is Cancer. The ruling body is Saturn.

MYTHOLOGY: First noted in the 21st century BCE, the Babylonians represented it as a hybrid of a goat and a fish.

CAPRICORN GALLERY

COMMON OBVERSE

A very simple design, although with some nice relief. It carries the effigy of King Charles III by Jody Clark, and is surrounded by the issue details, and the coin’s composition.

PRESENTATION

FRAME AND SHIPPER

ACRYLIC FRAME

CERTIFICATE

EDGE SERIAL NUMBER

Each coin comes in one of those superb solid acrylic block display boxes with the magnetically attached cover panel. There’s a themed slipcover over it with the specification printed on the back. There’s also a credit-card sized Certificate of Authenticity, which carries a serial number that matches the one engraved on the edge of the coin.

SPECIFICATION

DENOMINATION COMPOSITION DIAMETER FINISH MINTAGE
$12 NZD (Niue) 155.5 grams of 0.999 silver 60.0 mm Antique, UV enamel 99