Launched back in 1989 in gold form, the Austrian Wiener Philharmoniker soon became the premier European bullion coin and one of the big three alongside the American Eagle and the Canadian Maple Leaf ranges. Joined in 2008 by a 1oz silver coin, and in February 2016 by a 1oz platinum, it's also one of the very few to have offered all three of the major precious metals with the same design. Both sides of the coin were designed by the Austrian Mint’s chief engraver, Thomas Pesendorfer. The reverse face depicts eight orchestral instruments: four violins, a cello, a  Viennese [...]

ARMENIAN NOAH'S ARK by Geiger Edelmetalle The “Noah´s Ark” is a silver bullion coin issued by the Central Bank of Armenia but produced at a German private mint, Leipziger Edelmetallverarbeitung. They're not sold by the Central Bank of Armenia but by Geiger Edelmetalle GmbH and other European dealers. The coin is legal tender in the Republic of Armenia at its face value. Source: Wikipedia Noah´s Ark is an expressive symbol of Armenian history, deeply rooted in the European culture. According to the Christian Old Testament, the Ark was built by Noah at God´s [...]

SILVER MAPLE LEAF by the Royal Canadian Mint The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf is a bullion coin issued annually by the government of Canada and minted by the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM). First hitting the market in 1988, the now iconic design has seen huge sales, second only the the American Silver Eagle. Like the Eagle, it has a limited numismatic value compared to most other silver bullion coins due to that huge mintage and a design that doesn't really change. The lack of bigger sizes doesn't help matters either, firmly placing the Maple, along [...]

After the success of the Canadian Wildlife series, a 1oz,  six-piece silver bullion coin series issued twice annually by the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) between 2011 and 2013, it was clear a new series would plug the new gap. The sequel series didn't stray far from the original theme, but took to the air in style. Featuring birds of prey indigenous to the North American continent, the four coins that make up this set all show birds of prey in flight, usually in the act of hunting. In terms of specification and mintage, these remain identical to Canadian Wildlife. [...]

The Canadian Wildlife series was a six-piece silver bullion coin issued twice annually by the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) from 2011 until 2013. With the Silver Maple Leaf (SML) bullion coin reaching some seriously huge numbers, the mint decided to debut these restricted mintage semi-numismatic designs to broaden the portfolio, much like the way the Perth Mint breaks down its bullion offerings into many different ranges with changing designs. Compared to the Silver Maple Leaf they have a limited mintage, but considering we’re talking about 2 issues of a million coins per design each year, the term ‘limited’ is [...]

LUNAR SERIES I by the Perth Mint First hitting the market back in 1996, the Perth Mints flaghip Lunar coins had more humble beginnings and started out as a limited range of gold bullion coins in four sizes with just a single numismatic release. Fast forward to today and the Lunars are a huge part of the Perth Mints business and it's fair to say, their flagship range. Starting in 1996 with the Mouse, each year brought a new animal spread across a wide range of formats, eventually in 1999 making the leap over to [...]

ST GEORGE THE VICTORIOUS by the Central Bank of Russia One of the coolest of the world's bullion coins, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) issued St. George the Victorious coin made its gold debut on 01 February 2006 with the silver following on 11 January 2009. It’s never been one of the easiest coins to get hold off outside of Russia, with eBay being the best bet for many, but it’s widely liked for its classic and clean design, devoid of superfluous inscription or decoration. Depicting a striking, stylistic pose of St George, mounted on [...]

SURINAME MAP by the Central Bank of Suriname The Republic of Suriname is a former Dutch colony, governed as Dutch Guiana until 1954, that borders Brazil to the southeast. The Surinamese bullion coin from European Central Mint is their first. The coin is provided with a Surinamese face value (10 Surinamese dollars), and is therefore considered official currency. It's a well done coin, if a little unadventurous, and the quality appears to be high. Importantly, it's premium above spot is small in comparison to some of the more traditional silver bullion coins so makes a very [...]