AUSTRALIAN SHIPWRECKS (2019-2021) by the Royal Australian Mint Quite the surprise on its debut, the Royal Australian Mint's new Australian Shipwrecks bullion coin featured a couple of design choices not normally associated with this traditionally conservativbe mint. Quite apart from the fact the RAM had only recently jumped into the bullion market with both feet, after years of just dabbling, the choice of a triangular format was a brave one. The first time we've seen a triangular denominated bullion coin from anyone, that alone gives this series some kudos amongst collectors. The theme of [...]

QUEEN'S BEASTS (2016-2021) by The Royal Mint The Royal Mint was never one of the more adventurous producers of bullion coins, relying for a long time on its core Britannia and Sovereign ranges to carry the day. In a rapid turnaround starting in 2014 with the launch of the first Shengxiao Lunar, the mint has greatly expanded its selection with multiple series now making up part of the annual release calendar. The most popular, and impressive of these is Queen's Beasts. The Queen’s Beasts were sculpted by James Woodford RA for the coronation ceremony [...]

TOKELAU SEALIFE (2014) by Highland Mint A twelve-coin bullion series that issues a single design every year, Tokelau Sealife debuted in 2014 to a mixed reception. Buyers seemed to like the design, but there were soon comments regarding the quality of the prooflike coin circulating around the forums. This resulted in a change to a satin finish, seen as a way of minimising the look of flaws. Fortunately, the series quality picked up rapidly, keeping the satin finish until 2020, and while these are not struck to the same standard as a Perth Mint bullion [...]

MANDALA WILDLIFE (2018) by APMEX With the trend for different designs on bullion coins continuing apace, accelerated perhaps by the rising price of precious metals as we write, we're seeing a variety on offer that is greater than ever. Best of all, there is a greater appetite for risk, with styles and subjects that would normally be considered too out of the mainstream, getting a shot. On of those is the APMEX-distributed Mandala Wildlife. Dipping it's toes into both the wildlife and the cultural genres, the series takes a simple depiction of, to date [...]

2019+ PREDATORS by AllCollect Not a name you would traditionally expect in the bullion coin market, AllCollect is a European producer known for its more exotic style, employing unusual techniques for its issues. They're particularly known for their minigold, huge art issues, and as one of the first to enter the now burgeoning modified bullion coin market, with their pretty 'Golden Enigma' series. Obviously, their foray into bullion was going to be a bit different. At it's core, 'Predators' doesn't stray far from the formula used by others in recent years. One ounce of fine [...]

2016+ CHISELLED EDGE ANCIENTS by Scottsdale Mint While we often see new and unusual subjects on modern bullion coins, we don't often see something different in the format sense. In 2016, Scottsdale Mint debuted the first of its new Egyptian Relics series. These were quite unlike anything else on the legal tender market. Available initially only in a five-ounce format, they keep a diameter similar to a standard one ounce coin, choosing to employ all the extra weight on increasing the thickness. There's nothing unusual in that, of course, but instead of a standard bound [...]

2018+ RECTANGULAR DRAGONS by the Perth Mint We think it's fair to say that the selection of bullion coins available to purchase these days has never been more diverse, or of so high a quality. As well as the usual big players, a wide range of small producers are either issuing their own, or commissioning new designs from the major mints. It can be a little overwhelming and many complain, but it's all about choice, and that's rarely a bad thing. The theme of these is the ever popular Chinese dragon. Having a unique style, [...]

2017+ DISNEY BULLION by New Zealand Mint Much like the popular Star Wars bullion coin range from the New Zealand Mint, Disney, that franchises parent company, has also seen a range of bullion issues over the last couple of years from the same mint. This showcases their own characters, rather than those bought in from Lucasfilm when it took over George Lucas's iconic science-fiction universe, or from Marvel. There's virtually no difference in the specifications between Disney and Star Wars, so collectors can quite happily interchange between the two if they so wish. A [...]

2017+ STAR WARS BULLION by New Zealand Mint Along with the Perth Mint’s Marvel Superheroes series and the NZ Mint's own Disney coins, Star Wars has made the transition from proof commemorative to bullion with some success. Launching in 2017, the series debuted with the biggest movie villain of them all, Darth Vader. This ultra-iconic character has been a stalwart of the series. Each Vader design has followed a strict artistic style, one we call bas-relief inspired. This involves an image being formed from simpler elements, eschewing fine detail for a cruder, high contrast [...]

2017+ MARVEL COMICS by Perth Mint Launching in 2017 with a Spiderman coin, the Perth Mint stepped away from its comfort zone of nature themed silver bullion coins with a coin taking advantage of the mass of publicity around the biggest movie franchise of all time - the Marvel Comic Universe. Despite that, this coin series has remained firmly grounded in the imagery of the comics and not the movies. Now seven issues old, and drawing on a pantheon of characters huge in number and wide in style, it shows no sign of slowing [...]