The proliferation of two-ounce antiqued silver coins featuring ancient gods doesn't mean the format is tied to that genre. The New Zealand Mint has taken it and produced a strictly historical range of coins, taking a look at six of the greatest explorers the world has ever known. Two Portuguese, two Brits, a Spaniard and an Italian, mean it's a strictly Eurocentric selection, but there's no denying that all have firmly earned the right to be lauded for tyheir adventures. Definitely a series that could have continued, it's nevertheless good that it's rounded up in a nice tight, collectable set. [...]

One of the best of the ancient mythology series that have swept through modern numismatics in recent years, Scottsdale’s surprise entrant follows a design ethos set out with the mints epic Biblical Series. While that series will run to a huge sixty releases over the next decade, Vikings: Gods, Kings, Warriors will top out at a still impressive 15 coins. At the time of writing, the second batch of three has launched, leaving a further nine coins to appear, likely over the next three years. While there were initial indications that after the launch of the first trio, the coins [...]

Most of the major mints have a silver coin format that could almost be described as a baseline signature. The Perth Mint has its coloured 40.6mm/31.1g format, the Royal Mint its 38.6mm/28.28g sterling silver, and the Mint of Poland, issuer of this series, a 38.6mm/17.5g coloured format. This latest range to wrap up from the Mint of Poland is one such. Called S.O.S. Endangered Animal Species, the range consists of ten coins in total, each depicting one of the myriad number of animals that are in danger of disappearing largely due to the actions of mankind. [...]

AUSTRIA: PIECE BY PIECE by the Austrian Mint In a nice change from the usual way a national mint designs its coins, back in 2011 the Mint of Austria (Munze Osterreich) ran a competition for the children of Austria to design the reverse sides of a new ten-piece set of silver coins. The coin series was to be called Austria: Piece by Piece. Austria is a federation of nine provinces and the idea behind the series would be that each province would have a coin themed around it. The reverse face would depict popular items or [...]

2014-2017 GODS & GODDESSES by the Perth Mint Antique finish and a high-relief strike, two-ounce (62.2g) in weight, and featuring ancient mythology as a subject matter. This is a pretty good description of one of the hottest trends in commemorative coins over the last couple of years and here's a guide to the series that kicked it all off. Launching in early 2014 with little fanfare, Zeus, the first in the Gods of Olympus trilogy, came out of nowhere and became a hit. It took a few days for word to spread, but it wasn't [...]

Ancient gods have spawned a healthy new selection of numismatics over the last couple of years, featuring deities worshipped in ancient times. Fortunately in those polytheistic times, there were no shortage of gods and thus no shortage of subjects for new coins. Equally fortunately, most of them are resplendent with striking imagery and fascinating stories of their origins and adventures. First choices are usually the Roman or Greek gods, but we think the Norse gods are far more interesting, and it seems many mints agree. One of the bigger sets of coins featuring Norse mythology, the nine-coin Norse Gods [...]

Famous Fantasy Ships, also called Ships That Never Sailed, is an eight coin series of one-ounce silver coins. Struck by the Perth Mint for European distributor, Modern Numismatics International, each entrant depicts a fictional vessel made famous in popular literary works. While the Perth Mint is well known for its use of selective colour on its many ranges of proof silver coins, Fantasy Ships is free of the distraction. First launched in 2013, the series recently wrapped in 2016 with the launch of a collection edition carrying all eight coins in a single larger box. Individual coins came in a [...]

There's nothing in the coin world like the feel of holding an ancient gold coin in your hand, but unfortunately that's not something that most will have the opportunity to do. Nevertheless, interest in the market has never been higher with modern commemoratives featuring ancient themes from architecture to gods, many of the coins being amongst the best released to market. There will always be a difference between a themed coin and one that accurately replicates the past, and Coin Invest Trust's 'The Coins of the Roman Empire' fits firmly into the latter category. First launched back in 2009, the [...]

2012-2016 KLIMT AND HIS WOMEN by the Austrian Mint With a debut back in 2012, the Austrian Mint embarked on a five-piece set of coins to be released one-per-year, featuring Gustav Klimt’s paintings, specifically from a particular phase of his career when women were the focus of his attention, called his “golden phase”. Titled Klimt and his Women, the 10g proof-finish coins have won multiple awards for their superb implementation. The second coin in the series, The Expectation, won the 2015 Krause Publications coin of the year award, and the third coin, Judith II, just won [...]

Feng Shui is an old Chinese philosophical system that aims to harmonise everyone with their surrounding environment. Translating in English to "wind-water", it is one of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics, classified as physiognomy (observation of appearances through formulas and calculations). The practice of feng shui known to many in the West interprets architecture in metaphoric terms of "invisible forces" that bind the universe, earth, and humanity together, known as qi. As you'd expect, this bring lots of cranks out of the woodwork selling their 'skills' to the gullible, but it's recognised that some of the more general principles [...]