LIMITED NON-CORE BULLION COIN SERIES by the Perth Mint I think few would disagree with the observation that the last few years has seen a virtual explosion in new bullion coin releases. Whereas we used to have a base of big guns, like the American Eagle and the Maple Leaf, and a scattering of smaller mintage coins (Somali Elephant, Rwandan African Ounce, etc), we now have a huge selection of low mintage issues, often with attractive, annually changing designs. It's arguably the Perth Mint that laid the groundwork, with its combination of highish mintage, [...]

2019- AFRICAN BIG FIVE by the South African Mint The African Big Five are a popular subject on coins and foils. Considered the five most dangerous animals on the continent for hunting on foot, each of them stand out in their environment, even the herbivores. The Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros, Elephant, and Cape Buffalo are all quite capable of killing humans and frequently do. The Cape Buffalo, in particular, seems to have a mean streak a mile wide. The Big Five bullion coin programme was meant to be a simple, but quite intense one. Starting with [...]

LIMITED SILVER BULLION SERIES by Scottsdale Mint One of the most prolific and inventive producers of silver and gold bullion coins today, Scottsdale Mint release a wide range of such coins, mostly with a relatively restricted mintage, and most with a design that changes for every issue. Keeping up with the various series and individual issues is a task in itself, so we've put together this overview of the output of legal tender bullion coins from the last few years. Now, this isn't a full on Bullion Coin Profile that we do elsewhere, and [...]

WORLD'S WILDLIFE (2019) by Emporium Hamburg There's certainly been an uptick in the number of wildlife-themed bullion series issued for African nations over the last decade. Everything from prehistoric life to all the ecosystems of the world today. Emporium Hamburg have been at the forefriont of that with their hugely popular Somali Elephant (African Ounce) bullion range that's well into double figure releases now, and more recent offerings like the neat Prehistoric Life. In 2019 they added World's Wildlife to the mix, a series issued for the Democratic Republic of Congo. The aim here [...]

2019-2022 GIANTS OF THE ICE AGE by Auragentum While there's always a dinosaur coin series (or two) in progress at any one time, it's extremely rare to see coins featuring life that existed after their extinction some 65 million years ago. That's a shame, as there are some incredible animals over the period. An especially fascinating time was the Pleistocene, an era which saw large megafauna related to modern species, that interacted with many of our own forebears, back to the Neanderthals. German dealer Auragentum launched a bullion coin series in 2019 that is [...]

2017+ CHINESE MYTHS AND LEGENDS by the Perth Mint Similar in theme to their Rectangular Dragon bullion series, one that ironically started around the same time, the Perth Mint's 'Chinese Myths and Legends' series pairs the legendary Chinese dragon with another powerful beast - real or imagined. Like the rectangular series, this one is also available in both silver and gold. The style here is consistent and has at its centre the iconic flaming pearl of Chinese mythology. Two creatures arc their way around it, seemingly posturing for dominance. The first release used the [...]

AUSTRALIAN EMU (2018+) by the Perth Mint Never let it be said that the Perth Mint doesn't know how to do a bullion coin featuring one of the wild and wonderful creatures that populate their homeland. Building a solid reputation on the backs of their now seminal Koala, Kookaburra and Kangaroo ranges, they've branched out with renewed vigour into the limited mintage bullion market with a range of distributor exclusive series. This one here is handled by Metal Market EU in Europe and is called 'Australian Emu'. Launched in 2018, it's recently enjoyed a [...]

2020-23 PREHISTORIC LIFE by Emporium Hamburg Never let it be said that we don't love a good dinosaur coin here, and that goes double for a keenly priced bullion coin. One of Emporium Hamburg's ranges, alongside the hugely popular Somali Elephant and others, Prehistoric Life debuted in 2020 with, of course, a coin depicting that biggest of dino stars, Tyrannosaurus Rex. The coin looked good, although like many bullion series, early renders were a little crude. Having seen the coin in hand, it's actually a very nice piece. The design, on this and subsequent issues, [...]

2020-2021 PREDATORS: EXTINCT by AllCollect An interesting, if pricey addition to the limited mintage silver bullion market, AllCollect’s ‘Predator’ series was an eclectic mix of subjects from the natural world, brought to life with a mix of finishes on the same face. As you know, we love the prehistoric world here, so this newer companion series is off to a flying start, It's great to see some real effort put into each design, as well as the eschewing of all the usual subjects for some rarer ones. Sure, there’s a Spinosaurus and a Megalodon, but there’s [...]

CHINA'S FAMOUS VINTAGE: DRAGON DOLLAR RESTRIKES (2018-2021) by LPM Group LPM's delve into Asia's numismatc past with its 'Dragon Dollar' series of eight rounds is a unique opportunity to look at one of the fastest growing areas of classic numismatic collecting - late 19th/early 20th century Chinese Dragon Dollars. Beginning to command some seriously impressive six-figure prices at auction, the type is still settling down as far as definitive values go. Many of the originals, while often produced in big numbers, are exceedingly rare, so the chance of coming across one is fairly unlikely. [...]