DIMENSIONAL SKULLS (2017-2019) by CIT Coin Invest It was at the ANA Coin Show in 2016 that CIT launched the first of its new Skull series of coins. Utilising the full range of abilities brought to the industry, SmartMinting was a new technology developed by CIT Coin Invest and German mint, BH Mayer. The benefits were an ability to produce ultra high relief strikes incorporating both large size and high detail, from relatively small amounts of metal. Skull No.1 launched to much acclaim, and is the perfect example of just what smartminting brings to the [...]

SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD by MDM Wholesale Is there anything cooler in architecture than the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? Of course there isn't. While modern structures surpass them in scale and outrageous design, these structures were built in a time before digital and electrical technology had even been imagined. Breathtaking in design and pushing every ounce of expertise at their fingertips, these construction projects were the stuff of legend even when the Greek and Roman Empires were still in their ascendancies. Sadly, just one of the original wonders is still in [...]

SHAPES OF WILDLIFE (2018-2020) by MDM Wholesale It was CIT Coin Invest that pioneered the use of laser-cutting apertures in coins with the quite superb award-winning Mongolian Nature coin back in 2013. It's surprising that the technique hasn't been employed on a wider basis, although we understand that doing it well is harder than it looks. The NZ Post had a Kiwi issue three years ago, and that was struck/cut by BH Mayer - the same mint responsible for bringing the CIT productions to reality. We first saw images of the debut African series when [...]

2018-2020 STAR WARS MOVIE POSTER FOILS by the New Zealand Mint There’s no doubt that the New Zealand Mint are now the biggest proponents of the fledgling silver foil format. It could be argued that the format was first popularised by the European producer CIT Coin Invest, but the NZ Mint have the biggest selection on offer at the moment. Relatively cheap to design and produce, mints are more likely to take a chance with releasing a foil instead of a coin as the risks are less. Star Wars issued can't really be considered a [...]

2019 BATMAN VILLAINS SILVER FOILS by the New Zealand Mint 2018 was a busy year for the New Zealand Mint as they continued to popularise the silver foil with a whole swathe of variously sized designs. They’ve obviously had some success with the relatively new type of coin as 2019 has seen the selection expand further. We can now add Batman Villains to the list. The mint has three formats in general use. One apes the dimensions of a banknote (5g, 150 x 70 mm), another called ‘Premium Format’ weighs 35 grams (262 x [...]

HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES (2009-) by Numiscollect With an initial debut back in 2009, Numiscollect began a series of ten coins depicting one of the Middle Age's most destructive series of conflicts, the Crusades into what were then, and still sometimes are, known as the Holy Lands. While the Tenth Crusade can be considered the last of the Middle Eastern Crusades to be covered, there are to be five new coins featuring the Northern European Crusades, a fascinating, but little known series of campaigns. These are attractive coins, nicely detailed and well struck. With a [...]

2016-2018 FAUNA IN CULTURAL MONUMENTS OF UKRAINE by the National Bank of Ukraine Ukraine has a great recent history of precious metal numismatics, having some fine designs in its repertoire. Along with the increasingly popular Archangel Michael bullion coin, the National Bank of Ukraine also issues several series of coins and it's one of the best ones we're looking at here. Fauna in Cultural Monuments of Ukraine, apart from an epic name, is an intriguing series that first debuted in late 2016 with the simultaneous release of three coins. Showcasing depictions of animals in art [...]

2018 FANTASTIC WORLDS OF JULES VERNE by Czech Mint The French novelist Jules Verne (8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) is the second-most translated author of the last 50 years, just behind Agatha Christie and it's easy to see why. The sense of spectacle and wonder weaved in his novels has near universal appeal - appearing in countless adaptations from the early age of moving pictures through to the 21st century. As a literary world full of wonder, Jules Vernes work is a perfect subject for a coin series. The Czech Mint launched a [...]

2007-2019 WILDLIFE PROTECTION by Coin Invest Trust As well as the Tiffany Art series, another range of coins from Liechtenstein-based producer Coin Invest Trust (CIT) has accumulated awards and plaudits over its lifetime - Wildlife Protection. There are actually quite a few similarities between the two flagship ranges. Both are high-relief, both are antique-finished, and both have an insert set within them. With a first debut back in 2007, some three years after Tiffany first appeared, it wasn't long before the awards starting coming in, the first coin winning the Krause Coin of the Year [...]

TWELVE PROVINCES DUCATS (2015-2019) by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt We have to go back to 1586 for the birth of the Ducat coin in the Netherlands and to 1659 for its introduction in silver and today, centuries later, they’re still being produced with the same weight, composition and general design, although now for collectors. Spread around the world by the dominance of Dutch international trade, it is, like the British Sovereign, an icon of numismatics. The Royal Dutch Mint has long issued modern silver ducats, often in themed sets and this one is called ‘Twelve [...]