March, 2025
Big Five 03: Leopard 2oz cast silver bar (2025 Royal Krakow Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-03-14T15:45:51+00:00March 14th, 2025|
Big Five 03: Leopard 2oz cast silver bar (2025 Royal Krakow Mint)
The Royal Kraków Mint’s series of cast two-ounce silver bars, under the Germania Mint program, continues to grow with the addition of the third of the bars in their African Big Five series. The two previous issues featured the lion and the elephant, and for this third release, it’s another big cat – the leopard.
These bars feature a monochrome portrait, under which is a coloured name and border, different for each animal. The first two bars were outstanding, and this one is, in my opinion at least, even better. The image of this amazing big cat is quite sublime, right down to reflections in the eyes, and the texture of the fur. A terrific design, very important with these bars, as it’s all that differentiates them.
Some 500 of these bars will be produced, and given the lion and elephant bars sold out, we reckon this one will follow quickly. These cast two-ounce coloured bars seem to have captured the interest of buyers, and you can see all the releases in our comprehensive bullion profile, to which we have added this one. I love this one, and to be honest, if I were to collect one of these series of bars in the program, it would probably be this one. Available to order now, it comes boxed with a COA.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 62.2 g of 0.9999 silver | 40.13 x 25.07 x 7.5 mm | Antique, Colour | 500 |
Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle silver coin (2025 Mint of Poland)
Mik Woodgate2025-03-06T12:34:18+00:00March 6th, 2025|
Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle silver coin (2025 Mint of Poland)
The Mint of Poland’s long-running ‘Treasures of World Painting’ series of silver coin travels to a darker place with ‘Dark Edition’. The series of square coins reproduces famous works of art, not just the iconic ones, but some of the more esoteric ones as well. Dark Edition kicks off with esoteric, and a piece of art that certainly fits the theme.
Titled ‘Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle’, the 1872 work depicts the artist, Arnold Böcklin, a Swiss symbolist painter working, while Death plays a fiddle right behind him. In retrospect, I guess the painting title makes that patently obvious… It’s an amazing work of art, creepy and powerful. The coin cuts off the bottom of the original work, which has Böcklin holding a paint palette, but little of the essence of the work is missing. A frame is formed in silver as part of the strike, and it has a suitable black proof finish.
The coin is presented in a latex-skin floating frame, inside a themed slipcover, and has a mintage of 999 pieces. A fine twist on a series that has seen dozens of issues over the last few years, so one that’s obviously very popular. Available to order now.
DENOMINATION COMPOSITION DIMENSIONS FINISH MINTAGE
1,000 Francs CFA (Cameroon) 31.1 g of 0.999 silver 40.0 x 40.0 mm Black proof, Colour 999
Mary Poppins gold and silver coins (2025 The Royal Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-03-05T16:51:49+00:00March 5th, 2025|
Mary Poppins gold and silver coins (2025 The Royal Mint)
The Royal Mint continues in its quest to distil all of British history and culture down to its 50 pence coin range with the addition of a new coin featuring the most famous work of Australian-British author Pamela Lyndon Travers, ‘Mary Poppins’. As always with the Royal Mint, this is all about the literary origins, and has nothing to do with the 1964 Disney film.
The coin depicts the most famous scene, that of Mary Poppins blown in by the wind, after which she meets, and becomes the nanny to the Banks family. While most immediately think of the movie when they hear Mary Poppins, the books have a far longer life, the first of the eight published in 1934, and the last in 1988. Travers died in 1996, aged 96.
This is a typical seven-sided 50p coin, and the range consists of an 8.0 gram sterling silver variant with colour highlights, and a cleanly struck 22kt gold offering. Both are boxed with a COA, the silver coin coming in one of those very neat solid acrylic blocks, with the gold in a traditional wood box. For the collector on a budget, there are coloured and uncoloured base metal versions. All are available now.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| £0.5 UKP (United Kingdom) | 8.0 g of 0.925 silver | 27.3 mm | Proof, Colour | 5,010 |
| £0.5 UKP (United Kingdom) | 15.5 g of 0.9167 gold | 27.3 mm | Proof | 65 |
Niobium Digitalisation silver & niobium coin (2025 Austrian Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-03-05T15:10:30+00:00March 5th, 2025|
Niobium Digitalisation silver & niobium coin (2025 Austrian Mint)
Launched way back in 2003, to much acclaim, the Austrian Mint’s innovative Niobium series was quite unlike anything else out there at the time. A silver ring, inset into which is a disc made of a metal called niobium. This is quite unusual in that it can be coloured using anodised oxidation, rather than requiring the application of a colour ink or paint. Until 2013, the niobium pill was a single colour, but since then, the mint has utilised two.
The latest coin (each has a specific theme based around the world of science), is called ‘Digitalisation’, and the design takes symbols of today’s new digital world, including an LCD display, icons, circuitry, and various forms of media. These coins have full designs on both faces, not just in the coloured niobium centre, but around the borders as well. They’re clever coins, distilling a whole subject down to two stylised faces. It’s easy to see why they’ve won awards in the past.
The coin comes in a small red box, complete with a certificate of authenticity, and has a hefty mintage of 65,000 pieces. There’s also a limited set, which includes a special Crypto stamp not available elsewhere, which was created in conjunction with the Austrian Post, and has digital images on the blockchain. A maximum of 5,000 of these will be available, the coins being included in the maximum 65,000 mintage. Both the set, and the individual coin, will be available to purchase from 12th March. Check out our Coin Series Profile of the range to see all 23 coins issued in the series to date.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| 25 Euro (Austria) | 9.0 g of 0.999 silver / 7.5 g of 0.998 niobium | 34.0 mm | S/Unc, Colour oxidation | 65,000 |
February, 2025
Fairy Bread 1/2oz silver coin (2025 Melbourne Coin Company)
Mik Woodgate2025-02-24T08:42:24+00:00February 24th, 2025|
Fairy Bread 1/2oz silver coin (2025 Melbourne Coin Company)
It isn’t just the wildlife Down Under that’s brightly coloured and capable of finishing you off, it seems the food is as well! Fairy bread is a favourite for kids, and no doubt adults, in Australia and New Zealand, and is basically a buttered slice of bread covered in hundreds and thousands (sprinkles). Easy to make, easy to eat, just how food should be…
Melbourne Coin Company has a great sense of humour when it comes to its coins, having dabbled in food coins with a Buffalo Wings coin last year, and food coins always seem to be on the quirky side anyway. Their latest offering definitely fits that description, and is another near half-ounce silver coin like that Buffalo Wing design. Cut into the traditional triangular shape, it’s shaped and coloured exactly like a slice of fairy bread.
The obverse is clean, with a central area featuring the Public Seal of Niue, along with the issue descriptions. It comes in a gatefold cardboard pack, just like that earlier chicken coin, which is heavily themed and brightly coloured. Despite being just 15 grams in weight, it has a very small mintage of just 300 pieces. Available today, it’s a neat homage to an Antipodean classic.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| $1 TVD (Tuvalu) | 15.0 grams of 0.999 silver | 25.9 x 45.0 mm | B/Unc, Colour | 300 |
Deadly & Dangerous: Australia’s Tiger Snake proof coins (2025 Downies/Perth Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-02-19T20:45:00+00:00February 19th, 2025|
Deadly & Dangerous: Australia's Tiger Snake proof coins (2025 Downies/Perth Mint)
Still powering on after two decades, Downies Collectables ‘Deadly & Dangerous’ series of coloured proof coins continues with a 20th annual release. It says something about the general malevolence of Australian wildlife that a series depicting it can still be going strong for so long, but there are still plenty of unsung villains still not covered.
The latest addition is another snake, the fifth to date, and a particularly deadly one at that. This beautiful animal has a potent bite, delivering around ten times the venom in a single bite needed to kill a human. It’s a first-class depiction, with the colour expertly chosen and applied. The Tiger Snake looks well nestled in its habitat. I really like this one, but it’s a series that has always had a high standard of artwork on it.
There’s a one-ounce gold, and a one-ounce silver, and unusually, they’re issued for different countries, with the gold for Niue, and the Perth Mint struck silver for Tuvalu. The reverse face designs remain identical. A nice addition to a series that was once the most sought after on the market. Check out the whole range in our full Coin Series Profile.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| $1 TVD (Tuvalu) | 31.1 grams of 0.9999 silver | 40.90 mm | Proof, Colour | 2,500 |
| $100 NZD (Niue) | 31.1 grams of 0.9999 gold | 38.60 mm | Proof, Colour | 150 |
Year of the Dragon 1oz gold bullion coin (2024 Royal Australian Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-02-19T13:41:34+00:00February 19th, 2025|
Year of the Dragon 1oz gold bullion coin (2024 Royal Australian Mint)
The Royal Australian Mint has been issuing some fine bullion coins of late, and their Lunar Calendar range is one of the more popular. We’ve covered most of them to date, and you can see the whole range, along with most of the RAM’s recent output, in our comprehensive Bullion Profile summary of them all.
However, there’s been a quite annoying, and illogical absence from the series to date. A gold dragon variant was never issued in 2024, something we found particularly baffling given the sheer popularity of the dragon in the lunar cycle. That’s been rectified, and the Royal Australian Mint has now added it to the line-up, to the relief of completists everywhere. It’s a great looking coin, and the mintage of 5,000 seems well-balanced. Available now.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| $100 AUD (Australia) | 31.1 grams of 0.9999 gold | 38.74 mm | Bullion | 5,000 |
Beowulf & the Dragon gold & silver bullion coins (2025 Royal Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-02-19T12:53:21+00:00February 19th, 2025|
Beowulf & the Dragon gold & silver bullion coins (2025 Royal Mint)
Today, we’re going to be using our Quicklooks to catch up on some of the new bullion releases, and the first of them is the ninth issue in The Royal Mint’s ‘Myths & Legends’ range. This purportedly 12-coin series is divided into four groups of three coins, (although it’s possible it may stop at this ninth issue, after all) each group based around a famous British legend of old. The first trio featured the Robin Hood myth, and the second, that of King Arthur and Camelot.
The currently running third trio, is based on the Old English poetic story of Beowulf, and this one, ‘Beowulf & the Dragon’ finishes that off. It follows ‘Beowulf & Grendel’, and ‘Grendel’s Mother’ in depicting the story as best as can be done over three coins.
As before, there are one-ounce silver, and one-ounce gold versions in the range, but there apparently won’t be a ten-ounce silver to come at a later date, as this format ended with the Morgan Le Fay issue. Clearly, the Royal Mint is rationalising its bullion range, as it has been with the proof coins, sometimes to collectors annoyance. These are available now, and the range can be seen in our full Bullion Profile.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| £2 UKP | 31.1 grams of 0.999 silver | 38.61 mm | Bullion | Uncapped |
| £100 UKP | 31.1 grams of 0.9999 gold | 32.69 mm | Bullion | Uncapped |
200th Anniversary Krugerrand 1/50 oz gold bullion coin (2025 South African Mint/MDM)
Mik Woodgate2025-02-05T00:05:49+00:00February 4th, 2025|
200th Anniversary Krugerrand 1/50 oz gold bullion coin (2025 South African Mint/MDM)
Along with the Royal Mint’s Sovereign bullion coin, the South African Mint’s Krugerrand is an absolute icon of the numismatic world, and has been since its introduction way back in 1967. We’ve covered many of these in the past, but in conjunction with German producer, MDM, the tiny 1/50th oz variant is back on offer. This first appeared for a year back in 2017, and came back in 2024, this time with MDM handling areas outside of South Africa. The 2025 coin is a little special, however.
Celebrating 200 years since the birth of South African icon, Paul Kruger, who gave this coin its name, this one features a special privy mark, depicting the bust from the obverse, surrounded by the 1825 date of his birth. This is a bigger deal than you’d normally expect, as the basic design of the Krugerrand has never really changed, so altered versions like these seem to be particularly sought after.
The coin has a large mintage of 50,000 units, and they come slabbed, but not graded. The only downside for me is the small diameter of 8 mm, just like similar Royal Mint coins, and well shy of CIT’s 11, or even nearly 14 mm for similar coins. It’s still a great addition, and every bullion collector should have at least one Kruger, so why not a dinky one with a special privy? Available to order now.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 0.679 grams of 0.9167 gold (0.62g fine) | 8.0 mm | Bullion | 50,000 |
Investment Koala 1 oz bullion coins (2025 Royal Australian Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-02-04T22:59:37+00:00February 4th, 2025|
Investment Koala 1 oz bullion coins (2025 Royal Australian Mint)
While the first producer of bullion coins in Australia you think of might be the Perth Mint, the Royal Australian Mint has, over the last few years, been building up a range of their own that’s at least as good when it comes to design. Like the Perth Mint, they have a penchant for nature themes, but there’s quite a wide selection of others added to it, which you can see in our Bullion Profile that summarises them.
Their latest is the second of their Investment Koala coins, which is similar in style and format to the Investment Kangaroo, but there’s the addition of a one-ounce gold coin, with a mintage of 1,000 pieces. The design is first class, if not especially original (hardly a criticism when you think how many koala bullion designs there have been), and the relatively small mintages are an obvious bonus. Available to order now.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| $1 AUD (Australia) | 31.1 grams of 0.999 silver | 40.0 mm | Bullion | 25,000 |
| $100 AUD (Australia) | 31.1 grams of 0.9999 gold | 38.74 mm | Bullion | 1,000 |
January, 2025
Maciej Mańkowski Butterfly I 2 oz cast silver bar (2025 Goldenmark)
Mik Woodgate2025-01-28T19:35:14+00:00January 28th, 2025|
Maciej Mańkowski Butterfly I 2 oz cast silver bar (2025 Goldenmark)
Another newish release in Germania Mint’s 2oz coloured cast bar program is this beautiful bar adorned with the art of Polish experimental photographer, Maciej Mańkowski. This artist uses daggeography, which, through the mix of oxidising and colouration, gives an intensely shiny backdrop to the image. The bar is called Butterfly I, and is a beautiful, really showing off the vibrancy of the technique.
We’re currently unsure if this will turn into a series, but we’d certainly like to see more of this innovative look. In all other respects, it’s a straight-up addition to this program, and we have a huge bullion profile showing off all the various bars issued by various producers to date, which is constantly updated. This one also comes boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, but most extraordinary of all, just 40 pieces will be produced. Goldenmark are a Polish store chain, so getting one might be a task in itself.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 62.2 grams of 0.9999 silver | 40.13 x 25.07 x 7.5 mm | Antique, Colour | 250 |
The Outer Space: The Astronaut 2 oz cast silver bar (2025 Asturmint)
Mik Woodgate2025-01-28T12:56:52+00:00January 28th, 2025|
The Outer Space: The Astronaut 2 oz cast silver bar (2025 Asturmint)
The latest release from Asturmint as part of the Germania Mint’s 2oz coloured cast bar program is this superb debut issue in The Outer Space series. Called The Astronaut, it depicts a futuristic human astronaut on an alien planet, another planet filling the sky because of its proximity. Terrific artwork, which bodes well for a series with such a broad and exciting theme.
Not much else to say really, as we’re sure you’re familiar with these bars by now, and if not, we have a huge bullion profile showing off all the various bars issued by various producers to date, which is constantly updated. This one also comes boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity, and has a mintage capped at just 250 pieces.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 62.2 grams of 0.9999 silver | 40.13 x 25.07 x 7.5 mm | Antique, Colour | 250 |
Dot Art: Chameleon 3oz silver coin (2025 Numiscollect)
Mik Woodgate2025-01-24T14:50:20+00:00January 24th, 2025|
Dot Art: Chameleon 3oz silver coin (2025 Numiscollect)
Numiscollect’s innovative Dot Art & Pointillism series has just launched its sixth coin, and it continues to surprise with its wide range of subjects. Pointillism was developed by Post-Impressionist painter Georges Seurat and Neo-Impressionist painter Paul Signac, both Frenchmen working in Paris in the mid-1880’s, from principles discovered by French chemist, Michel Eugène Chevreul. It involves the creation of an image using dots of colour, rather than mixing colours to form new ones, causing the eye to see a wider gamut than is actually present. Even Vincent van Gogh was impressed by the technique.
For their coins, Numiscollect have combined the colour dots, with some fine, smartminted raised dots formed in the coin strike. They vary in size and colour to build up the image of a chameleon on a bed of leaves. Here, just the chameleon and the branch it resides on, are done in dots, which is the opposite of how it was done on the earlier ‘Whale’ design, where everything but the subject was done so, and last year’s Taj Mahal coin, where the whole thing was realised as Pointillism.
The design this year is particularly vibrant, playing into the colourful nature of the Chameleon. It’s a fine example of the type. The common obverse returns, the only difference being the absence of an issue date, which has been moved to the raised rim of the reverse. Packaging is equally bright and colourful, and this three-ounce black proof coin has a mintage of 333. Available to order now.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| $20 (Palau) | 93.3 grams of 0.9999 silver | 65.0 mm | Black proof, Colour | 333 |
I Love You 2 oz cast silver bar (2025 Royal Krakow Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-01-22T12:57:38+00:00January 22nd, 2025|
I Love You 2 oz cast silver bar (2025 Royal Krakow Mint)
The two-ounce coloured cast bar selection continues to expand into new themes with the release of a new offering from the Royal Kraków Mint. This producer already issues an attractive ‘Big Five of Africa’ series, of which two are currently available, and they were amongst the first to move away from the use of ancient mythology as a theme, something helping to diversify choice.
This time, we get a bar released for next month’s Valentine’s Day, and it’s a brightly coloured celebration of the happy day, sporting a vibrant heart made of flowers. There’s a Certificate of Authenticity, and a themed box. The mintage of 520, is a nod to the Chinese speaking of the number sounding like ‘I love you’, and which has become an almost meme-like celebration there. Available to order now, it should ship next month. We’ve added it to our Bullion Profile of the range.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 62.2 grams of 0.9999 silver | 40.13 x 25.07 x 7.5 mm | Bullion, Colour | 520 |
Valentines Day range of 1 oz silver bars (2025 Scottsdale Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-01-16T20:31:40+00:00January 16th, 2025|
Valentines Day range of 1 oz silver bars (2025 Scottsdale Mint)
Just a quick heads up that we’ve updated our comprehensive Bullion Profile of Scottsdale Mint’s coloured minted bullion bars to include the new range of eleven bars themed around the upcoming Valentine’s Day. There’s around 60 different designs in the range to date, and we expect many more as the year progresses.
These are cheap and simple to produce, and they sell with a relatively small premium over spot, so if the design appeals, they’re an easy product to justify buying. As well as the 11 bars, there are the same number of rounds, but we don’t cover those in the profile.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 31.1 grams of 0.999 silver | 50.0 x 29.0 mm | Bullion, Colour | Unlimited |