June, 2022
Game of Thrones – The Three-Eyed Raven (2022 New Zealand Mint)
Mik Woodgate2022-06-21T00:09:45+01:00June 20th, 2022|
Game of Thrones - The Three-Eyed Raven (2022 New Zealand Mint)
Today sees the debut of the second issue in the New Zealand Mint’s new ‘Game of Thrones’ range. The range kicked off last month with a coloured medallion carrying the banner of House Targaryen, the family soon to star in their own television show ‘House of the Dragon. For the second release, we have a wholly more unusual piece, eschewing the use of colour, or of depicting one of the many banners of the various houses.
The Three-Eyed Raven is a form of the greenseer able to see into the past and the future, guiding the forces of good against the Night King. His symbol is a raven with a third eye placed centrally and above the usual two. Cleanly struck, this issue features that raven on the reverse face, and on the obverse sits the inscription ‘ALL MEN MUST DIE’, under which is the official logo of the show.
These are medallions, so carry no denomination or country of issue, but in most respects, are similar to the mints many coin releases. Struck to a proof finish, this is an ounce of 0.999 silver in weight, and comes very nicely presented in a themed box. At 35 x 35 mm, they’re a good size. Available right now, it has a mintage of 3,000 pieces.
LINKS: ISSUE 1: TARGARYEN
Biblical Series: Cleansing the Temple (2022 Scottsdale Mint)
Mik Woodgate2022-06-15T19:37:25+01:00June 15th, 2022|
Biblical Series: Cleansing the Temple (2022 Scottsdale Mint)
A bit later in the year than usual, Scottsdale Mint has finally debuted the first of six 2022 issues in their long-running Biblical Series of two-ounce silver coins. This is the eighth year since the series kicked off, and it was always designed to be a decade long program, building into a sixty-coin set. We were a little sceptical that it would run the course, but to Scottsdale’s credit, they’ve been steadfast in keeping it going.
Part of the appeal, even if you’re not religious, are the superb production values on display, and the inspired choice of Gustave Dore’s extensive woodcut works to depict the various biblical scenes. Dore was a talented artist, and produced hundreds of bible scenes in woodcut form, so Scottsdale have plenty of source material to pick and choose from.
This 43rd coin is called ‘Cleansing the Temple’ and shows a scene from Luke 19:46 where Jesus is kicking the buyers and sellers out of the temple. The style is consistent with the rest of the series, so if you’re a fan, you’ll take to this one as well. If you’re new to the series, or simply want to catch up with what has gone before, we have a full Coin Series Profile to the range up for your perusal.
LINKS: AgAuNEWS COIN SERIES PROFILE
Mythical Creatures – The Sphinx (2022 Czech Mint)
Mik Woodgate2022-06-13T22:31:21+01:00June 13th, 2022|
Mythical Creatures - The Sphinx (2022 Czech Mint)
Just a quick heads-up that the tenth in the Czech Mint’s nice ‘Mythical Creatures’ twelve-coin series is now available to buy, and features the Sphinx, most famously known from the millennia old colossal statue that stands guard over the Giza Plateau in Egypt. However, the Greeks also had their own version of the Sphinx, this kind of overlap very common in the ancient world.
It’s another neat design. We’ve seen quite a few of these in hand, and they’re attractive coins, especially given the price-point (the silver is €76). Each comes boxed with a COA, but there’s also a very nice gatefold folder specifically designed to hold all twelve issues (there’s one for gold and one for silver). Available now, you can read about the whole series to date in our profile at the link below. Yet to come are Pegasus in July, and Scarabeus in October.
LINKS: AgAuNEWS Coin Series Profile
May, 2022
Next Generation – Mother & Baby Dingo silver bullion coins (2022 Perth Mint)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-31T22:20:57+01:00May 31st, 2022|
Next Generation - Mother & Baby Dingo silver bullion coins (2022 Perth Mint)
Now in its fifth year, the Perth Mint’s ‘Next Generation: Mother & Baby’ series is an unusual one in this popular mints catalogue by having no one-ounce version. Instead, there’s a two-ounce coin with a large 75,000 mintage doing the heavy lifting, and a ten-ounce coin capped at 2,500 pieces. Both are effectively piedfort coins, having a diameter (66.1 and 40.9 respectively) that’s usually associated with a coin of half the weight, and expending that extra completely on the coin thickness.
The theme of these, at least so far, is Mother & Baby, with each issue depicting exactly that. We’ve already had the Koala, Crocodile, Kookaburra, and Platypus, and now we have another Australian predatory animal, the Dingo. An infamous animal down under, it’s often in the news for the wrong reasons, but remains just another animal trying to survive in one of the most hostile and dangerous environments on Earth.
Another neat design, with even the ‘sunburst’ lines in the background, something we’re rarely keen on here, not detracting from the overall look. Indeed, this has always been quite a nice series, and Aleysha Howarth has kept up the standard of previous entrants. Available now, each coin comes encapsulated, and should be available from all the usual dealers, big and small. Check out our Where to Buy page.
LINKS: OUR BULLION COIN GUIDE TO THE SERIES
Korean Peninsula 2 oz silver stacker (2022 Coins Today Korea)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-31T12:59:39+01:00May 31st, 2022|
Korean Peninsula 2 oz silver stacker (2022 Coins Today Korea)
We’ve just had a good look at Coin’s Today’s super new Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil stacker, but that one is a very limited edition two-coin set, so although it’s a stacker, it hardly qualifies as a bullion product. Fortunately, the T. Rex didn’t land on its own, and it was accompanied by a true, low-cost stackable bullion round.
This producer has chosen quite a varied range of subjects for its offerings, and this time around it’s geography – specifically, the Korean Peninsula. A contour map of the country, surrounded by a sea marked out with Asian-style wave patterns, constitutes the outline of the round, and as you would expect of a stacker, it has a reverse imprint of the main face on the back of it, so they can slot together. We can’t say how many people actually store their stacker coins as intended, but it’s a neat idea, with lots of creative potential.
Korean Peninsula has an unlimited mintage, and tips the scales at two ounces in weight. It’s 76 x 47 mm in size, and comes in a capsule. A cool addition to a very cool bullion range.
Major update to our Predators: Extinct bullion coin profile (2021 AllCollect)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-29T00:10:31+01:00May 29th, 2022|
Major update to our Predators: Extinct bullion coin profile (2021 AllCollect)
Our Bullion Coin Profile of AllCollect’s neat Predators: Extinct series was put together a couple of years ago, and covered the first seven coins in the series. This is not an easy series to follow, it isn’t even featured on the producer’s own site, and virtually no dealer (even APMEX, who have most of them), has them all. But, in one of our update checks, I decided to get to the bottom of this series, especially as I’m currently midway through our promised Prehistoric Life on coins thematic guide.
As a result, we’ve gone from the original seven coins, to SIXTEEN! There are 8 issues for 2020, and a further 8 for 2021. We’re reaching out to see if that is the end of the series, but what’s already out is a nice selection. The series is at its best when it showcases early animals (like these two), rather than the more recent, but all told, it’s a good sequel to the earlier Predators range. Feel free to check out the profile, and hopefully, the Prehistoric Life coin guide will be ready soon (sneak peek), as it’s coming along nicely, but there are more coins to cover than we originally thought. Again…
LINKS: PREDATORS: EXTINCT BULLION SERIES PROFILE
America the Free: Statue of Liberty shaped silver coin (2022 MTB/PAMP)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-25T20:45:04+01:00May 25th, 2022|
America the Free: Statue of Liberty shaped silver coin (2022 MTB/PAMP)
Sitting proudly on Liberty Island in New York Harbour, the Statue of Liberty is a 93 m tall neoclassical sculpture, donated by the people of France to the people of the United States. Dedicated on October 28, 1886 after over a decade in construction, the statue was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by the creator of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Gustave Eiffel. It has become one of the most iconic creations of man
The Statue of Liberty is meant to represent Libertas, the Roman goddess, who was usually depicted carrying a rod and a pileus (soft hat), but Bartholdi has her holding up a torch, and carrying a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law). At her feet lie broken chains. The statue is formed from copper sheets over an iron & steel framework. The torch is gilded.
As it’s so iconic, you won’t be surprised to see it on numerous modern coins, the latest of which is a shaped-effort from MTB-PAMP. Standing around 85 mm in height and almost 32 mm in width, this is a two-ounce coin, issued for the Solomon Islands. Struck to a proof-like finish, and with colour applied to the reverse, this isn’t a dimensional coin, lacking high-relief, but does follow the outline of the statue very well. Hidden within the added flag, are depictions of famous Americans (from the top – Washington, Lincoln, Tubman, Sacagawea, Douglass, Anthony).
The obverse carries an excerpt from ‘New Colossus’ by Emma Lazarus, which is located on a plaque on the statue’s pedestal. The whole thing is very patriotic, and sure to appeal in the US. The coin has a mintage of 4,000 pieces, and comes nicely boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity. The serial number is also engraved on the coin’s obverse. Available from today.
LINKS: MTB-PAMP
Chibi Captain Jean-Luc Picard & Admiral Ackbar (2022 New Zealand Mint)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-24T00:22:18+01:00May 24th, 2022|
Chibi Captain Jean-Luc Picard & Admiral Ackbar (2022 New Zealand Mint)
Another quick heads-up on a Chibi coin that may sell quickly, the first in the Star Trek: Next Generation subset has just debuted, and features one of the most beloved and iconic characters in the whole franchise – Captain Jean-Luc Picard. With the character enjoying a mini-renaissance on streaming television at the moment, it’s likely it’ll be one of the quick sellers.
Joining Picard is a Star Wars favourite, and a character that’s inspired many ‘It’s a trap!’ memes, Admiral Ackbar, a very distinctive piece. Both are available to order right now. Like all the other Chibi coins, these two come well presented in themed display packaging, and have a mintage of 2,000.
LINKS: AgAuNEWS CHIBI SERIES PROFILE
ColorEYEzed Ocean Blue silver coin (2022 CIT)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-23T20:36:37+01:00May 23rd, 2022|
ColorEYEzed Ocean Blue silver coin (2022 CIT)
As we continue to slowly work our way through CIT’s Spring Launch coins, we come to an issue that sits outside any current series. Called ‘ColorEYEze’ it’s a simple depiction of a human iris and pupil, realised in high-definition colour. It’s certainly striking, and you’ll either love the simplicity of it, or wish that CIT had gone a bit further with it, with a convex strike, for example.
They chose a blue eye, often seen in many cultures as the most desirable, but one only possessed by 8% of the human population, with heavy biases in places like Northern Europe. The number of babies with blue eyes is considerably higher, but they usually fade to a different colour as the child ages. It’s been postulated that all blue-eyed people can trace their line back to a single ancestor, around 6-10,000 years ago. There is actually no blue pigment in blue eyes, they’re more sensitive to light than other colours, and people with them have a higher rate of alcoholism.
Available to order now, this one-ounce silver coin is struck to a proof finish, has a 38.61 mm diameter, and comes presented in a ‘floating’ frame with a themed insert. The mintage is set at 1,500 pieces
Women in History – Marie Curie silver coin (2022 New Zealand Mint)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-19T22:36:43+01:00May 19th, 2022|
Women in History - Marie Curie silver coin (2022 New Zealand Mint)
With the New Zealand Mint seemingly having given up on anything that wasn’t a pop-culture franchised coin release, we were pleased to see them finally release a new series with a more general them. They’ve issued from fine ones over the years, including a decent dinosaur series not too long ago, but we’re back into human history for their latest debut. Called Women in History, the series will highlight some of the most impressive women and their contributions to humanity. There’s really no better place to start than the legendary Marie Curie. Marie was a Polish physicist, who, along with her husband, French scientist Pierre, did extensive work in the fledgling field of radioactivity, culminating in a Nobel Prize for physics in 1903.
This was Marie’s first, and she won a second, for chemistry, in 1911, the first person to win two, and one of only two people to have one in different fields. Her work with radium led to her pushing for field radiological units for the French Army in WWI, to aid in the diagnosis of injuries, and by the war’s end, over a million people had been x-rayed with her equipment. She died in 1934 as a result of an illness brought on by her extensive exposure to radioactivity. Her extended family went on to be awarded with three more Nobel Prizes.
The coin is a straightforward affair, with a coloured image of Marie, over a background of her Nobel Prize Diploma. Her signature is inscribed on the uncoloured section of the coin at the top. The obverse is a simple effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, surrounded by the Niue issue inscriptions. The packaging of this one-ounce 0.999 silver coin looks excellent, but you’d expect nothing less from the NZ Mint. Available now, it has a mintage of 2,000 units, and a launch price of $89.00 USD.
LINKS: NEW ZEALAND MINT
50th Anniversary of Pride UK (2022 Royal Mint)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-18T15:20:26+01:00May 18th, 2022|
50th Anniversary of Pride UK (2022 Royal Mint)
With the rainbow flag appearing seemingly everywhere these days, often on the frontline fighting for wider political and ethical rights, it comes as little surprise that it’s made an appearance in the numismatic world. The Royal Mint is issuing one of its fifty-pence coins to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pride UK. There are few details of the range at present, this is a rare ‘coming-soon’ from the mint, but silver and base-metal coloured versions are definitely part of it. The press release is as follows;
“The Royal Mint has today revealed a commemorative 50p celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pride UK. This coin marks the first time Britain’s LGBTQ+ community has been celebrated on official UK coinage, and forms part of The Royal Mint’s wider commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The coin has been designed by Dominque Holmes, an east London artist, writer, and LGBTQ+ activist with a varied artistic background that includes tattoo artistry. The coin design features Pride in London’s values of Protest, Visibility, Unity, and Equality in rainbows. With state-of-the-art colour printing technology, the iconic colours of the Pride progression flag are recreated with special-edition colour versions of the silver and BU coins.
Since the first official Pride UK event in 1972, the Pride UK movement has been one of significant political and cultural importance. Now in its 50th year, Pride UK is more popular than ever and continues to fight against societal oppression and stand up for rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Asad Shaykh, Director of Marketing and Communications at Pride in London said, “It was a privilege to visit The Royal Mint as part of our partnership and see our coin being made. It humbles me greatly that the words that I coined for the brand, PROTEST, VISIBILITY, UNITY & EQUALITY – will be on an actual coin, opposite the Queen. This queer brown immigrant has come a long way, powered by hope, love and this city. Nowhere in the world had this been possible, except the UK. Pride in London feels very proud today.”
Clare Maclennan, Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said, “The 50th Anniversary of Pride UK is a milestone celebration, and it is a privilege to mark 50 years of progress with this 50p coin. This is the first ever UK coin dedicated to Britain’s LGBTQ+ community, with colour printing technology capturing the spirit of Pride UK with its iconic rainbow colours. It was an honour to host representatives from Pride in London at The Royal Mint recently to strike their own coins as part of the launch and discuss with them our commitment to diversity and inclusion within the business and show how we are reinventing for the future.”
As part of the launch, The Royal Mint will make a financial contribution to London LGBT Community Pride C.I.C. The 50p will not enter circulation but will be available to purchase via The Royal Mint website this summer. The range includes gold, silver, and brilliant uncirculated versions.
The launch of the new LGBTQ+ coin forms part of The Royal Mint’s wider commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Alongside D&I training for all employees, a network of D&I Champions has been established to support The Royal Mint’s wider vision of celebrating differences for an inclusive future. This commitment also extends to an LGBTQ+ society for employees at The Royal Mint; established last year. Named ‘Enfys’, the Welsh word for Rainbow, the group has hosted Q+A sessions, shared their personal stories and encouraged visibility and allyship amongst employees.”
Seven Wonders – Temple of Artemis bullion round (2022 APMEX)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-17T00:29:06+01:00May 17th, 2022|
Seven Wonders - Temple of Artemis bullion round (2022 APMEX)
The fourth of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World bullion rounds from APMEX has just debuted, and this time around depicts the Temple of Artemis, and one of its most famous figures by association, Alexander the Great. The temple was actually the third built on the site, with the second having been burned to the ground in an act of arson, supposedly on the day of Alexander’s birth.
Located at Ephesus, around 75 km south of the modern Turkish port of Izmir, the temple was 137 m in length, 69 m in width, and 18 m in height, with at least 127 columns. Construction began in 323 BCE. Like so many of the great structures from antiquity, it was broken down by later religions, in this case Christianity, that felt threatened by earlier pagan magnificence. It was widely admired in antiquity, and was an easy inclusion in the Seven Wonders.
The bullion round has a decent depiction of the temple’s front facade on its reverse face, but we’ve always found the portraits on the obverse side of this series to be the highlight. In this case, it’s Alexander the Great, and the image of him is first class, the equal of the King Hammurabi on the second issue, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. As before, there’s a 1 oz gold variant with a 77 mintage (boxed with a COA), and an encapsulated silver 1 oz round (box optional) with a 7,777 mintage. A nice release, available now from APMEX.
American Football & Basketball shaped minigold coins (2022 CIT)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-23T19:48:43+01:00May 9th, 2022|
American Football & Basketball shaped minigold coins (2022 CIT)
We’re going to be honest straight from the start, nobody does minigold coins as well as Liechtenstein-based producer, CIT. While many other mints have embraced the half-gram gold coin format, none have issued so many designs, across so wide a range of subjects, or have so comprehensively integrated them into their wider range. The great majority of CIT’s flagship coin ranges have a minigold companion.
Their efforts take two forms, traditional round coins, varying in diameter from 11 mm to almost 14 mm, and shaped coins, taking on the outline of the subject. Most of the latter are not tied to bigger and more prestigious silver coins, but are issued in their own right. This latest pair sits in that group, part of CIT’s ‘Special Shapes Gold’ range. Latterly, these have concentrated on depicting leisure activities, like a guitar, and a game controller, but there have been everything from animals to transportation over the last few years.
Two new coins debuted last week, we believe the 37th and 38th in the collection, all but two of which issued for Palau (the others were for the Cook Islands). One is in the shape of a basketball, the other an American Football, both hugely popular sports in North America, in particular. They both reach out to 13.92 mm in diameter, big for the format, and both exhibit a lot of the fine detail usually missing at this size. Unusually, none of this series carries a date of issue.
The mintage of each is capped at 15,000 pieces, a nod to their popularity. They only come encapsulated as standard, but a neat little box is available for little money, so ask your dealer to get one when you buy, as they’re worth it. Available now.
30th Anniversary of the Polish Border Guard silver coin (2022 Narodowy Bank)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-09T20:43:30+01:00May 9th, 2022|
30th Anniversary of the Polish Border Guard silver coin (2022 Narodowy Bank)
First deployed on 16 May 1991, the Polish Border Guard is tasks with securing the territorial integrity of this Central European nation. Few nations in Europe have had the tumultuous history that Poland has, not just through the 20th century, but for hundreds of years before that. The land and sea border of Poland is currently 3,511 km in length, of which 1,581 km is also the de facto border of the EU. It’s a difficult job in peacetime, but doubly so now, with the war in Ukraine ongoing, so the service personnel of 14,814, of which almost 30% are female, are relied upon heavily to keep Poland safe through the latest crisis, and beyond.
The National Bank of Poland is issuing a new proof silver coin to commemorate 30 years of operation and the reverse face depicts three officers forming a colour guard, with the Polish Border Guard standard in hand. The flag is UV coloured, but the rest of the coin is cleanly struck. The obverse face of the coin shows us a Border Guard on active duty, accompanied by a canine, perhaps a German Shepherd. The coin was designed by Sebastian Mikolajczak.
This is a sterling silver (0.925) coin of half a standard ounce (14.14 grams) in weight. It’s a decent size at 32 mm in diameter, and comes neatly boxed in the typical packaging the NBP employs. Struck by the Mint of Poland, it has a mintage cap of 12,000 pieces, and will be available from 12th May. A timely release, for sure.
Link: NARODOWY BANK POLSKI
Van Gogh Bottlecap coin (2022 Precious Metal Collectors)
Mik Woodgate2022-05-03T18:08:54+01:00May 3rd, 2022|
Van Gogh Bottlecap coin (2022 Precious Metal Collectors)
In 2016, coin innovators, CIT, released a one-off coin incorporating an unusual design. Struck to look exactly like a bottle cap, it was issued to mark 500 years since the introduction of the Bavarian Purity Law, which strictly regulates what ingredients can be used in beer. It was two years later that this new concept became considerably more popular, when Crown Mint debuted its Coca-Cola bottle cap range. Upping the weight from 2.5 to 6 grams, yet keeping the same size, the range soon grew into a bona-fide series.
Joining the select group of producers that can issue coins in this difficult to strike format, is Singaporean producer, Precious Metal Collectors. It’s a surprising move in some ways, quite the opposite approach to the companies usual output, which has gained kudos for the sheer size enabled by their Bi-Metal Max copper-cored technique. Not only that, the design raises a few eyebrows as well.
Almost every one of these caps to date has depicted something solidly tied to the drinks’ industry, from that Bavarian law, to the recent Pepsi Cola caps, but PMC have opted for a very unusual depiction of the artist, Vincent van Gogh. The picture itself is an old classic, but why it’s on a bottle cap is quite the mystery. We’ve seen big Van Gogh pictures made from bottle caps, but never vice versa.
Anyway, it’s formed from six grams of 0.999 silver, struck to a proof finish, and with a 32.6 mm diameter. The mintage is limited to 5,000 pieces, and it comes boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity. A little esoteric perhaps, but certainly one of the more unusual fine-art coins we’ve seen for a while. Available now.
