FAMOUS HISTORICAL BUSTS (2022) by Precious Metal Collectors We were extremely impressed when Precious Metal Collectors, most widely known for their silver over copper 'Bi-Metal Max' issues, debuted a new two-ounce silver coin in the shape of Abraham Lincoln. Eschewing any trickery, this was a solid silver coin, issued for the Republic of Chad, that was simply antique-finished. The star of the show was the incredible job that had been done, bringing a two-dimensional representation of a person into a three-dimensional piece of silver. We suspect the coin was released to test market reaction, and [...]

2020+ CHIBI COLLECTION by the New Zealand Mint A phenomenon that has travelled far from its Japanese homeland, Chibi (ちび or チビ) is slang for 'short' and is applied to various pop culture genres today. Chief amongst those are the small, chubby caricatures with their tiny bodies and over-sized heads – also called super-deformed (SD). A popular style in anime and manga, and also with the Funko figures that are seemingly everywhere these days, we’re actually surprised the concept has taken this long to hit the numismatic world. If anyone was going to do [...]

2013-2024 TREASURES OF STANISLAW AUGUST by Narodowy Bank Issued by the National Bank Of Poland (NBP), also known as the Narodowy Bank, Treasures of Stanislaw August is a rare gem along the lines of the Monnaie de Paris' superlative From Clovis to Republic series. Whereas that series took a modern designer, Christian Lacroix, and reinterpreted the styles of history for a modern, themed look, this series is firmly rooted in a historical source. The last king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was Stanislaw August Poniatowski, and around 1790 he instructed a pair of talented medallists, [...]

MOMENTS OF LOVE (2019) by Mint XXI It isn't often we see a subject like sex featured in its own coin series. Hinted at perhaps, but not front and centre (no pun intended...). If you're going to do it respectfully, then showcase the classic text on the subject, the Indian work, Kama Sutra. This is an ancient text, tracing its roots back well over 2,000 years, and sets out the ways to garner maximum pleasure from the act of procreation.Mint XXI is no stranger to nudity on its coins, offering some superb examples of ancient [...]

EVOLUTION OF LIFE (2015) by CIT Coin Invest Back in 2007, the Liechtenstein-based coin producer Coin Invest Trust, issued a hit coin for the National Bank of Mongolia. The debut coin in a new series called Wildlife Protection, it went on to win the prestigious Coin of the Year award in 2010. That series went from strength to strength and every issue has been widely applauded for its quality and most importantly, its design. Sadly now ended, although Numiscollect are reimagining them in conjunction with CIT as fully dimensional coins, we were fortunate to [...]

LUNAR YEAR COLLECTION (2019) by CIT Coin Invest The Lunar market seems to have cooled somewhat over the last couple of years, a good thing given the ridiculous numbers issued annually just half a decade ago, Fortunately, the mints have taken the opportunity to heart, with a noticeable increase in quality. The Perth Mints iconic Lunar Series reached its third go around last year and introduced a vastly better look, as did the Royal Mint. In our view, the best new introduction of the last few years has been CIT's superb fully dimensional coins, [...]

TRAPPED (2019-2023) by CIT Coin Invest We have a particular fondness here for coin designs that do things quite differently from whatever the trend of the time is. In 2019, the ancient mythology theme was the darling of the coin world, and while some stunning designs were released in the genre, there was a basic underlying style to most of them. In the midst of that came CIT, with 'Trapped', with a concept and execution utterly unique. The series tells the claustrophobic tale of someone confined behind a fabric sheet, but they're not alone. From [...]

MYTHS AND LEGENDS SERIES (2017-) by Numiscollect While the sheer prolific nature of the Mint of Poland's numerous ancient world themed coin series is in a league of its own, they have plenty of competition on the quality front. Chief amongst them is Numiscollect who, in conjunction with CIT and BH Mayer, produce some of the best coins ever issued in the genre. There are currently four series in progress, three of them quite close in concept and execution, with a smaller 2oz range showcasing the artifacts used by the various gods. All are struck [...]

SILVER NIOBIUM (2003-) by the Austrian Mint A global innovation when launched almost a decade ago, these 25 euro silver niobium coins still combine state-of-the-art numismatic technology and first-rate aesthetic design. First issued in 2003, their silver outer ring and coloured niobium ‘pill’, which is attained by oxidation as opposed to the application of artificial colour, have provided the perfect backdrop for exploring suitably technological themes, from astronomy to aviation, robotics to renewable energy and electric light to television. Although as common as lead and even present in the human body, niobium was only discovered at [...]

PLANETS & GODS (2019-) by Mint XXI What happens when you combine two popular coin themes into one? You get something like Mint XXI's 'Planets & Gods' series of three ounce silver coins. Mixing together the popular ancient mythology and the astronomy genres, they've produced an attractive and clever range of coins linking together the planets of our Solar System, with the ancient gods that gave them their names. Launching in 2019 with Mercury, each coin features a representation of the ancient god, usually in the style of a statue of the period, overlaid on [...]