June, 2021
OBI-WAN KENOBI & DAISY DUCK CHIBI (2021 NZ Mint)
Mik Woodgate2021-06-16T23:55:32+01:00June 16th, 2021|
OBI-WAN KENOBI & DAISY DUCK CHIBI (2021 NZ Mint)
Time for the first batch of Chibi coins for June and perennial Star Wars favourite Obi Wan Kenobi undoubtedly takes pride of place. The Star Wars sub-series has easily been the best selling to date, so its no surprise to find out this one is already pretty unobtainable. If you can pick one up, its bound to be a hit on the aftermarket. The other issue is the third in the Disney-themed ‘Mickey & Friends’ sub-series. Daisy Duck joins Mickey & Minnie Mouse, in this set. If its your thing, these look very well realised. They both have a 2,000 mintage and a retail price of $99.00 USD, along with some excellent presentation. It’s easy to see why these are so popular, rapidly closing in on the 40th issue in little over a year! Check out the whole NZ Mint Star Wars range in our Thematic Guide.
However, the big news this month is the NZ Mint’s new premium number selection. The video below lays out the concept, but basically, the mint is packaging serial numbers 1 to 200 in acrylic boxes with a special ‘authentication’ which seems to consist of a sticker with a hologram. Reaction to the video has not been positive and we agree. If they’d taken the first 25, for example, that’s fine(ish), but the first 200, which are randomly sent out (you can’t pick a number), is a huge overkill. The coins are not graded and as the standard packaging is authenticated with a certificate like all their coins, one wonders on the point of it. The price of $199.00 USD is double the norm and for a plastic box…Â A rare mistep for the mint, in my opinion.
LINKS: NZ MINT WEBSTORE
MICKEY & GOOFY BULLION (2021 NZ Mint)
Mik Woodgate2021-06-11T13:34:13+01:00June 11th, 2021|
MICKEY & GOOFY BULLION (2021 NZ Mint)
The New Zealand Mint are, through US dealer APMEX, today launching their latest Disney themed bullion coin – the 14th to date. There are several undefined, but themed series running through this range and the coin we’re looking at here is one of the ‘Mickey &’ issues. Depicting Mickey Mouse and Goofy, it fits in with the series style and will look exactly as you’d expect if you have previous coins.
The same two offerings as usual, both an ounce in weight. One is 0.999 silver and has a fairly tight 15,000 unit mintage, while the 0.9999 gold variant is considerably rarer at just 100 pieces. Both should be shipping later this month. We’ve added this to our full guide to the series, so if you’re interested, go check it out.
MINI MONEY KOALA MINIGOLD COIN (2021 Royal Australian Mint)
Mik Woodgate2021-06-03T13:51:59+01:00June 3rd, 2021|
MINI MONEY KOALA MINIGOLD COIN (2021 Royal Australian Mint)
A popular format these days, although not especially at the Royal Australian Mint, the half-gram minigold coin will no doubt continue to be so at a time that gold is showing some increased vigour. Everyone collector likes a bit of gold in their collection, and while minigold coins are not the greatest value for money on a per-ounce basis, they are eminently affordable in literal terms. This new issue from the RAM is a good case in point, dropping at just $85 AUD.
It also helps that modern minting techniques have made the preservation of detail on these tiny coins so impressive. The fineness of the design shown here belies the 11 mm diameter and is far superior to similar efforts from just a decade ago. The Mini Money Koala is also a terrific design in its own right, and the wee beastie looks great in its tree. The obverse is just the effigy of QEII, but we’d not expect anything else on a coin like this.
The mintage is capped at 5,000 pieces and it comes presented in what looks like a slab similar to those used by NGC for their graded items. It looks to be a sensible way to present and store a small coin. Available to order now and limited to one per customer, we like this one.
LINKS: ROYAL AUSTRALIAN MINT
THE MINIONS: STUART SHAPED COIN (2021 The Coin Company)
Mik Woodgate2021-06-01T17:11:24+01:00June 1st, 2021|
THE MINIONS: STUART SHAPED COIN (2021 The Coin Company)
One of the greatest animated creations of all time, in my view, The Minions, a group of seemingly immortal ‘henchmen’ for the most evil person on the planet, have starred in multiple smash-hit movies over the last decade or so. Bright yellow, short and with a distinctive language all of their own, their misadventures have proven hugely popular, even in the coin world where there have been multiple issues from The Coin Company.
Latest, and greatest, is the first shaped coin in the range. We’re actually surprised its taken this long to get one out, but superstar ‘Stuart’ is kicking it off. It’s hard to imagine a franchise more perfectly suited to shaped coins than the Minions (except maybe South Park…please!). It’s a one-ounce 0.999 silver coin with a mintage of only 1,000 pieces. Packaging looks nice and on point, and we’re pretty sure that if you like this kind of kind, you’ll love this one. We do. Available now.
LINKS: COIN COMPANY AUSTRALIA
May, 2021
PONTE VECCHIO BRIDGE SILVER COIN (2021 Mint of Poland)
Mik Woodgate2021-05-28T20:42:48+01:00May 28th, 2021|
PONTE VECCHIO BRIDGE SILVER COIN (2021 Mint of Poland)
Built in 1345 to replace wooden, and later stone bridges that had stood on the site for almost four centuries, the stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River is one of the most popular attractions in the Italian city of Florence. Covered from end to end with shops selling jewellery, souvenirs and art, it’s a staple of the tourist scene and a noted romantic site.
The bridge isn’t often seen on coins, but even so, we doubt it would have been depicted quite like this before. The style is quite unique in modern coins, almost like a cell from an animation, filled with ‘fish-eye’ views of the bridge and other famous Florentine buildings. It’s a love/hate style, but it’s good to see designers trying out new things.
It’s struck to a proof finish in a standard ounce of 0.999 silver, and has a mintage of just 700 pieces. The presentation looks neat, with a floating latex-skin frame for easy display, and we suspect that many will end up being shown in just this way. Florence evokes fond memories for those that have visited and it’s a truly special city. Available now.
LINKS: MINT OF POLAND
HARRY POTTER & THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE POSTER COIN (2021 NZ MINT)
Mik Woodgate2021-05-28T15:24:24+01:00May 28th, 2021|
HARRY POTTER & THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE POSTER COIN (2021 NZ MINT)
We haven’t covered these for a while, so here’s a heads up that the sixth Harry Potter movie poster coin, Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince, is now available from the New Zealand Mint. These one ounce proof silver coins feature a colour reproduction of the movie poster used to advertise it on its debut release. It;s an under-appreciated genre and there have been some terrific designs over the decades of movie production.
Like most big movie series, the posters follow a relatively tight artistic style and that’s certainly the case here. They’re aimed at a specific market, so if you like Harry Potter and collect coins, these will have great appeal as they’re very well produced and excellently presented. If you don’t, these won’t change your mind. Available now, it has a mintage of 5,000 and a pricetag of $95.00 USD.
LINK: NEW ZEALAND MINT
WONDER WOMAN 1984 & MINNIE MOUSE CHIBI (2021 NZ Mint)
Mik Woodgate2021-05-25T01:40:13+01:00May 25th, 2021|
WONDER WOMAN 1984 & MINNIE MOUSE CHIBI (2021 NZ Mint)
More Chibi coins today and the late May pair extends the fledgling Disney sub-series, ‘Mickey & Friends’ with a second issue, Minnie. The more interesting of the pair is the debut of yet another new series, and one we’re not sure warrants it. Wonder Woman 84 seems quite a niche subject for a seperate series. We’d have thought that a series covering the DC Extended Universe as a whole would’ve been a better approach, especially as this movie was terrible. The coin looks great, however, so if you do like the movie, you’ll surely like this.
The same format (one ounce silver) as before, very well presented and with a tight 2,000 mintage, mean collectors of these will know what to expect. There are now 35 of these in the range, which is incredible given the first Chibi coin only debuted less than 11 months ago. At $100 USD a pop, it’s a significant commitment if you want them all, but the splitting off the range into themed sub-series means you can pick and choose what you like and ignore the rest. There are four more teasers on the mint site, the lowest number we’ve seen for ages, but we can’t imagine the range not powering on through 2021 at least.
If you follow these, you’ll know we have a full Coin Series Profile of the entire range, so go check that out at the link below. I’ve just updated it again with a chart tracking the numbers in each sub-series, and the first section of the article now has links you can click that will scroll automatically to the series you chose to look at.
LINKS: AgAuNEWS PROFILE OF THE CHIBI SERIES
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOMENS RIGHT TO VOTE (2021 Swiss Mint)
Mik Woodgate2021-05-19T11:55:17+01:00May 19th, 2021|
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOMENS RIGHT TO VOTE (2021 Swiss Mint)
The latest gold coin from the Swiss Mint celebrates an event that probably should have taken place considerably sooner than it did. In 1971, after having rejected the notion just a dozen years before, the Swiss people finally decided to let women have the right to vote. Seems amazing that in a progressive European country like Switzerland that this only happened fifty years ago, but I guess you learn something new every day!
The coin weighs 11.29 grams and is struck in 0.900 gold. It depicts a woman, possibly Emilie Lieberherr, the figurehead of the movement to gain the vote, placing her ballot. It’s neat enough and the Swiss Mint must have had high expectations, as the mintage is set at 5,000 pieces. As it has sold out, it seems they were correct.
PRESS: “Women’s efforts to achieve equal political rights date back to the 19th century. In 1959, two-thirds of the men voted against women’s suffrage, thus proclaiming a clear “no”. But Swiss women did not give up their fight and like-minded women increasingly joined forces. The figurehead of this dynamic women’s movement was Emilie Lieberherr, who called on her female comrades to march on Bern. Determined and equipped with banners, around 5,000 women from all over Switzerland demonstrated on the Bundesplatz in the early afternoon of 1 March 1969. On 7 February 1971, men in Switzerland were called to the polls a second time for a federal vote on introducing women’s suffrage. There was a clear majority in favour, paving the way for Swiss women to be able to have their say in future elections and votes. Thus, the Sunday on which the vote was held became one of the most important political milestones in Swiss history and the day on which Swiss women were given a voice. In the subsequent National Council elections in October 1971, eleven women were elected. Over the years that followed, the proportion of women in the National Council grew steadily, and currently stands at 42%.”
LINKS: SWISS MINT
THE MANDALORIAN: THE CHILD (2021 NZ Mint)
Mik Woodgate2021-05-15T17:12:42+01:00May 15th, 2021|
THE MANDALORIAN: THE CHILD (2021 NZ Mint)
The Mandalorian coloured silver coin series from the New Zealand Mint seems to have been a good seller, no surprise given the huge popularity of the TV series. The star of the show to date is without question ‘The Child’, also known as Grogu, or Baby Yoda (which it isn’t), so it’s a surprise that we’re four coins into this series before it puts in an appearance.
It’s a classic depiction, so we have little doubt that fans of the series will snap this up in record time. The $95.00 USD coin weighs in at an ounce of 0.999 silver and is struck to a proof finish. We’ve seen a few of the coins in this range and they’re very well struck, making a great looking and long lasting gift for the Star Wars fan. The mintage is capped at 2,000 pieces and the presentation is first class. Available now. Check out the whole NZ Mint Star Wars range in our Thematic Guide.
LINKS: NZ MINT WEBSTORE
MASTER CHIEF & GANDALF CHIBI (2021 NZ Mint)
Mik Woodgate2021-05-11T16:47:07+01:00May 11th, 2021|
MASTER CHIEF & GANDALF CHIBI (2021 NZ Mint)
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Chibi is back like clockwork with the first pair of May issues now available to pre-order, The first is of little surprise, Gandalf the Grey the latest in the Lord of the Rings sub-set. This is the third of Tolkiens characters to get the monster-bonce treatment, and you can see the franchise gradually taking priority over Harry Potter, which is rapidly running out of subjects and itself handing over to Fantastic Beasts.
Of greater surprise is the debut of another new sub-set, the fifth this year, but the first to make the jump into the gigantic world of videogames. It’s easy to forget just how large this market is, easily dwarfing the movie world. Halo is the franchise of choice, a Microsoft X-Box behemoth widely touted as one of the major reasons why the company is such a power player in gaming today. The main character in the games is Master Chief, but we’re guessing if you’re interested in the coin, you already know that. It looks good, so we’ll monitor the popularity of it closely.
There are now 33 of these coins in total, so we’re pleased to see greater differentiation between the sets. Nothing annoys a collector more than incomplete collections, so at least this approach breaks it down into manageable chunks. There’s plenty of scope for expansion as well. Nightmare Before Christmas, James Bond, The Matrix, Aliens/Predator, Nintendo, Marvel Comics, Doctor Who, The Simpsons – it’s almost endless, although limited by licencing, of course. I reckon an Asterix the Gaul set would be brilliant, and South Park, and The Boys, and Universal Monsters, and Mad Max, and………..
Check out our comprehensive Coin Series Profile to the Chibi range, recently completely revised with a new look. Check it out at the link below.
LINKS: AgAuNEWS PROFILE OF THE CHIBI SERIES
STAR WARS: GALACTIC EMPIRE BULLION COIN (2021 NZ Mint)
Mik Woodgate2021-05-05T21:03:53+01:00May 5th, 2021|
STAR WARS: GALACTIC EMPIRE BULLION COIN (2021 NZ Mint)
The New Zealand Mint’s Star Wars bullion range gets its second issue of 2021 and its tenth overall since its launch in 2017. The range seems to be comprised of a Darth Vader sub-series (four coins to date), a miscellaneous series (four coins), and one called Symbols of Star Wars. This latter series is the most recent, and debuted last year with the Mandalorian Mythosaur, the famed logo of the warrior caste.
That coin, and this one, have a lower mintage than the others, although come in the same choice of 0.999 silver and 0.9999 gold formats, both an ounce in weight. The silver tops out at 25k and the gold at just 260 pieces, significantly less than the other two sub-series. This coin is pretty simple, just featuring the logo of the Galactic Empire. No doubt the Rebel Alliance and the First Order will follow in due time. Both have an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II surrounded by the inscribed issue details on the obverse.
Available to order now, it should ship later this month. It comes encapsulated.
LINKS: AgAuNEWS BULLION COIN PROFILE
AUSTRALIAN NUGGET: GOLDEN EAGLE 1931 BULLION (2021 Perth Mint)
Mik Woodgate2021-05-05T12:43:15+01:00May 5th, 2021|
AUSTRALIAN NUGGET: GOLDEN EAGLE 1931 BULLION (2021 Perth Mint)
The coin is available in two formats. A one ounce 0.9999 gold and a one ounce 0.9999 silver. The former has a mintage of 30,000 pieces, while the latter is capped at 7,500 pieces, so these sit a bit above the tiny mintage market numbers (especially in gold). We’re not fans of this series, to be honest. They will be produced and struck to the same high standard you’d expect from the Perth Mint, and while the subject couldn’t possibly be more appropriate for a bullion series, it’s just such an aesthetically bland thing to showcase. I bet the artist chosen to do the design each year isn’t overjoyed at the prospect. There just isn’t much you can do with an amorphous blob of metal to make it look stylish, and with the market filled with some brilliant designs of late, it’s a tough sell. However, it’s Perth Mint bullion and available now.
LINKS: FIRST COIN IN THE SERIES
TOKELAU SEALIFE PORCUPINE FISH BULLION (2021 HIGHLAND MINT)
Mik Woodgate2021-05-04T06:59:04+01:00May 4th, 2021|
TOKELAU SEALIFE PORCUPINE FISH BULLION (2021 HIGHLAND MINT)
A long running bullion series by todays standards, Tokelau Sealife, launched by Treasures of Oz back in 2014, is a twelve coin series released at the rate of one per annum. After overcoming some initial quality issues, it has gone on to be a low-key, but solid member of the limited mintage bullion coin market. The 2021 coin is now here and depicts the Porcupine Fish.
As per the refresh in style last year, this one has the fishy subject in the centre, and a geometric pattern in the background field. We find the pattern a little overpowering, to be honest, but this is less intrusive than last years, so hopefully they’ll dial it back a bit more. The fish itself is extremely well done, much like the rest of the series. The minigold of the last few years has gone, and since 2020 the lineup has comprised a pair of one ounce coins, one in 0.999 silver and one in 0.9999 gold. Mintages are 10,000 and 100 respectively, so nice and tight. Check out our full guide to the series at the link below. Available now.
LINKS: AgAuNEWS BULLION SERIES PROFILE
April, 2021
YEAR OF THE CHARMING TIGER RANGE (2021 CIT)
Mik Woodgate2021-04-29T22:20:42+01:00April 29th, 2021|
YEAR OF THE CHARMING TIGER RANGE (2021 CIT)
A new selection of CIT coins is coming and the first we’re looking at is the latest in the mints dabble with the Lunar Calendar. Instead of an annual selection of simple coin designs that rely solely on the depiction of the relevant animal, CIT bring to market some pretty cool fully dimensional pieces. The latest of these is 2022’s Tiger, which they’ve dubbed the Charming Tiger. You have to love this as they’re so different, and actually issued for an Asian nation – Mongolia.
In addition to this one-ounce silver showpiece, there’s a half-gram minigold that carries an image of the coin on it, and a silver banknote/foil of similar design. It’s an eclectic collection and the one we look forward to the most every year. It’s hard to balance unusual with gimmicky, but CIOT stay on the right side of that lione every year.
We’ve not gone into too much detail here as we have a full profile of the whole series up on site in which you can see images of the whole range, every variant of the Tiger, including staged shots, and a video. We highly recommend the lunar fan to check them out. Link below.
LINKS: AGAUNEWS COIN SERIES PROFILE
MYTHICAL BEASTS: UNICORN (2021 Czech Mint)
Mik Woodgate2021-04-28T12:36:26+01:00April 28th, 2021|
MYTHICAL BEASTS: UNICORN (2021 Czech Mint)
The Unicorn, the mystical nag with a skewer on its head, is the star of the second of the Czech Mints ‘Mythical Beasts’ series for 2021, and the sixth overall since it debuted last year. Given how imaginative the Ancient Greeks were when it came to inventing creatures for their tales, the Unicorn is a fairly sedate looking beast, and that’s reflected in the design of the coin. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a good looker, and it’s a fine depiction of a horse.
Same two versions as usual, of course. A one ounce silver and a tenth ounce gold, the former with a mintage of 1,000 pieces, and the latter half that. Both now come in the mints new packaging, which is a step up from the previous small cardboard boxes in quality, although we did like those as well. Further releases through 2021 will be Cerberus (July), and Centaur (October). We have a full profile of the series up at the link below.
LINKS: AgAuNEWS Coin Series Profile