August, 2020
FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE ASSOCIATION 75TH (2020, NBP)
Mik Woodgate2020-08-03T21:11:14+01:00August 3rd, 2020|
FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE ASSOCIATION 75TH
Running since 2017 and meant to hit 22 issues when complete, ‘The Enduring Soldiers Accursed by the Communists’ is the snappy title of a serious set of coins looking at the heroes in Poland that fought, many giving their lives, against the Soviet Union after the Second World War. The Polish people went through hell in WWII, but got liitle respite afterwards as they were left under the influence of Stalin’s Communist Party apparatus.
The coin series highlights many of the figures and groups that fought back, ultimately to no avail and does so with a variety of designs on ½ (std) oz of sterling silver . This new one, due to ship from 27th August, commemorates the 75th anniversary of WiN, the “Freedom and Independence” Association, which was a successor to the Polish Home Army. Just seven years after its formation, it was infiltrated and broken up,.
As one of our Quicklooks, there isn’t a mass of space here for more information, but that’s because we have a full Coin Series profile of the range where you can see full details of all the issues to date, including this one, so head on over for a good read about this traumatic period. Another issue in this series is due in November.
LINKS: THE ENDURING SOLDIERS SERIES PROFILE
PREDATORS: 3 NEW ADDITIONS (2020, AllCollect)
Mik Woodgate2020-08-01T19:46:57+01:00August 1st, 2020|
PREDATORS: 3 NEW ADDITIONS (ALLCOLLECT)
We’ve been digging around for information to bring our coverage of AllCollect’s wildlife-themed silver bullion coin series, up to date, and these three here should bring us to that state. An interesting mix of finishes marks out ‘Predator’ as something a little different from the norm, with a part incused, part reverse-proof footprint/bodypart, a mirror proof style background field, and a matte finish foreground.
It’s good to see something that isn’t ordinary in this series, which has over-focused a little on the big cats. The Great White Shark and the Grizzly Bear, along with the Lion, bring the series total to date up to nine issues, with, we believe, sixteen in total making up a set. Each of these 1 oz designs has a mintage of 15,000 pieces.
July, 2020
MACARONI PENGUIN GOLD PROOF (2020, Pobjoy Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-29T14:30:33+01:00July 29th, 2020|
MACARONI PENGUIN GOLD PROOF (POBJOY MINT)
The Pobjoy Mint is currently working its way through their latest series of 50p Penguin coins but today, have taken a small detour with the theme as they release a 1/25th oz gold proof version of one of the birds. The Macaroni Penguin has been seen in the series itself, although the design of this one is new. It depicts a solitary bird, complete with its mini-Trump head covering, with the title inscribed above and the denomination below.
The seven-sided format of the fifty pence coin has gone, replaced by a standard round planchet with a £4 denomination. The coin is issued for South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands and has a very small mintage of 199 pieces. Packaging comprises one of the mints red snapper boxes, packaged in a themed shipper with a similarly themed certificate. Available now with shipping from next week.
BARBADOS TRIDENT SILVER BULLION (2020, Scottsdale Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-28T10:40:26+01:00July 28th, 2020|
BARBADOS TRIDENT (SCOTTSDALE MINT)
Back for the fourth year, the Barbados Trident has become a staple of Scottsdale Mint’s annual bullion offerings. It’s one that straddles the two major types of bullion coin – those that change design regularly and those that don’t. The design of the broken handled trident that became the Caribbean island’s symbol, has remained unchanged over the last four years, but the background field has seen a few iterations.
From fine geometric lines and crinkled finishes meant to symbolise waves, for 2020 we get a background pattern that is the closest yet to an outright realistic depiction. It looks pretty good, although nobody would accuse the Trident coin of being an ambitious design. The mintage of this 1oz 0.999 silver bullion coin remains at 30,000 pieces, and while there have been gold variants in the past, it has yet to be announced for 2020. Available to order now with shipping in a couple of weeks time.
LINKS: 2019 COIN IN SILVER AND GOLD
DINOSAURS: PTERODACTYL (2020, NZ Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-27T12:18:10+01:00July 27th, 2020|
DINOSAURS: PTERODACTYL (NZ MINT)
Always great to see a coin depicting prehistoric life and we’ve had some great ones over the last half decade or so. An attractive issue to debut this year was the New Zealand Mint’s ‘Dinosaurs’ range, which launched back in February. This one featured the Tyrannosaurus Rex and was followed by the Triceratops a couple of months later. This third issue takes to the skies with the strange Pterodactyl. These flying reptiles existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228-66 MYA) and these formidable beasts ranged in size from the tiny, to huge animals with wingspans in excess of 11 metres!
We liked the first two coins and we like this one. The colour over antique finish look works well and has done so in the past on othe NZM series. The mint has a knack of combining this look with some cool subjects, like famous battles, for example. A 1oz 0.999 silver coin, it has a 2,000 mintage and some good quality presentation. Available today for around $80.00 USD.
LINKS: DEBUT COIN IN THE SERIES
FIVE SOVEREIGN PIECE (2020, Royal Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-27T12:07:18+01:00July 27th, 2020|
2020 FIVE SOVEREIGN PIECE( ROYAL MINT)
Today sees the release of the biggest annual British Sovereign coin, the Five Sovereign. The same size and weight as a typical £5 gold coin from the Royal Mint, it weighs 39.94 grams of 22kt 0.9167 gold (36.6 grams fine), so quite a bit more than the usual one troy ounce (31.1g). The design is pretty much a straight copy of all the other sizes, indeed of most Sovereigns struck over the many decades since its inception. Benedetto Pistrucci’s now completely iconic image of St George slaying the dragon is a superb piece of numismatic art, although quite ubiquitous by now.
What makes this one a little different from the norm and more collectible as a result, is the addition of George III’s Royal Cypher, which you can see as a small privy mark at bottom right of the reverse face (the obverse is just the usual effigy of QEII). The cypher is a combination of ‘G’ and ‘R’, basically George Rex (King George). Only 350 of these are being sold like this, and the packaging is the usual glossy wooden box that the mint does so well. Available now, we’d expect this to sell quickly given the current popularity of Royal Mint gold in general. Price is £2,450.00 UKP.
175TH ANNIVERSARY OF RUSSIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY (2020, Central Bank of Russia)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-26T22:54:50+01:00July 26th, 2020|
175TH ANNIVERSARY OF RUSSIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY (CENTRAL BANK OF RUSSIA)
Founded in 1845 by the decree of Emperor Nikolay I, the Russian Geographical Society (RGS) is one of the oldest geographical societies in the world. It serves the dual functions of spreading knowledge about the geography and related sciences of the region, and of aiding nature reserve management in Russia. The current Board of Trustees of the Society is headed by President Vladimir Putin.
In recent years, the society has organised several expeditions, like the geographical expedition to Kyzyl–Kuragino, the Arctic Cleanup Programme and many other nature and archaeological events. It runs several programmes to study and protect rare wildlife and habitats, issues over 200 publications annually, and provides information and finance for media productions.It has regional branches in every one of Russia’s 85 territories and has 22,000 members around the world.
The coin is a typical Russian issue. A formal artistic style focused on symbols – in this case the emblem of the RGS – with a nod to the event, the 175th anniversary, in the inscriptions (175 ЛЕТ РУССКОМУ ГЕОГРАФИЧЕСКОМУ ОБЩЕСТВУ). It looks pretty good and is a clear representation of the subject matter. The obverse features the usual double-headed eagle of Russia that is found on all of the countries coins. It’s a ¼ oz coin struck in sterling 0.925 silver to a proof finish by the Saint Petersburg Mint and has a maximum mintage of 5,000 pieces. Available now.
LINKS: RUSSIAN GEOGRAHICAL SOCIETY
CHUAN JIA ZHI BAO THE FAMILY HEIRLOOM (2020, PMC)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-21T12:52:29+01:00July 24th, 2020|
THE FAMILY HEIRLOOM CHUAN JIA ZHI BAO (PMC)
In amongst the impressive copper-cored, ultra high relief coins that have impressed us over the last year or so, Singapore-based producer Precious Metal Collectors also occasionally put out something of a more standard nature. This one is called “Chuan Jia Zhi Bao”, the Family Heirloom, and is surely aimed at the Asian market. The reverse face depicts a Chinese family sitting around the dinner table, described as ‘ the quintessential representation of the culture of what Home feels like, found in Asian families.’.
It’s a 1oz silver coin, that’s been gilded and coloured. The main inscription, “家” means Family and Home in Chinese, with the poem to the side representing ‘mutual love, understanding and family harmony’. The coin is issued for the Republic of Chad, so that nations coat of arms fills the obverse. The box, in line with the subject of the coin, has space to aid personal heirlooms within it, like photographs or jewellery. You have to give credit where due, Precious Metal Collectors do a great job with the little touches like that. As for the coin, it’s one that will appeal to the home region, and ex-pats, but is probably not one for the wider market. Available to order now with a mintage of 1.399 pieces.
LINKS: PRECIOUS METAL COLLECTORS
PREDATORS: CHEETAH BULLION (2020, AllCollect)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-22T11:22:42+01:00July 22nd, 2020|
PREDATORS: ACINONYX JUBATUS (ALLCOLLECT)
Next in the wave of new entrants in Allcollect’s Predators bullion coin series is Acinonyx Jubatus, the Cheetah. Using the same mixed finish of an incused footprint that is partly reverse-proof finished, a matte finish foreground, including the animal subject, and a mirror proof style background field, they remain quite unique.
This one is the sixth release overall and the third big cat. Add in the Wolf coin that introduced the series, and we end up with a lot of similar looking designs. Hopefully, the rest of the series will show a bit more variety, (the shark coin is a nice one, for example). That isn’t to say this is a bad design. Far from it. In hand these are attractive pieces. Available to order now, this one-ounce 0.999 silver coin has a mintage of 15,000 pieces. Read more about the series at our link below.
CAYMAN ISLANDS MARLIN SILVER BULLION (2020, Scottsdale Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-21T13:38:21+01:00July 21st, 2020|
CAYMAN ISLANDS MARLIN SILVER BULLION (SCOTTSDALE MINT)
Back for the fourth year is Scottsdale Mint’s Cayman Islands issued ‘Marlin’ bullion coin. The leaping fish adorns the central section of the reverse face, and is surrounded by a ‘wavy-patterned’ border carrying various inscriptions. That border is also present on the obverse, with the centre area occupied by an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.
The mintage of this 1 oz silver bullion coin is 50,000 again. It has a smaller premium over spot than many other Scottsdale designs, so is aimed more at the volume market – hence the continuing use of the same design, which is fine. Last year saw a gold version with a 10,000 mintage as well, but that’s yet to be announced. Hardly surprising given the times, but hopefully it will appear soon. A nice looking, if unadventurous coin, it’s available now.
LINKS: PREVIOUS COINS IN THE SERIES
AUSTRALIAN SOVEREIGN 165TH PIEDFORT VERSION (2020, Perth Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-21T13:39:09+01:00July 20th, 2020|
AUSTRALIAN SOVEREIGN 165TH PIEDFORT (PERTH MINT)
The first overseas branch of the British Empire’s Royal Mint was opened in Sydney, Australia in 1855. In a rare turn of events, the mint was empowered to actually produce Sovereigns, rather than just export the prodigous amount of mined gold back to the United Kingdom for it to be done there. The Sydney mint struck coins were unique and Sir Leonard Charles Wyon, eldest son of Chief Engraver William Wyon, produced designs that departed from the traditional look of the original. The denomination ‘ONE SOVEREIGN’ was included on the reverse which also comprised depictions of St Edward’s Crown and a laurel wreath. Even ‘AUSTRALIA’ was engraved prominently, despite not yet being an independant nation. This all changed in 1870, when the mint adopted the core British design, but with the addition of a small mintmark.
To mark 165 years since it was first struck, the Perth Mint has produced a special piedfort (double thickness) variant with a ‘165’ privy mark on the reverse face. These are rare for the Perth Mint in being produced from 0.9167 (22kt) gold, as they generally use the very fine 0.9999 grade for their numismatics. It contains a little under ½oz of gold (0.471 oz) and hits 22.60 mm in diameter. A nice touch is capitalising on the extra thickness to create a high-relief strike. One for the traditionalist. Available now, it has a mintage of 350 pieces and sells for $1,990 AUD.
PENGUIN SERIES: GENTOO PENGUIN (2020, Pobjoy Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-18T16:56:28+01:00July 18th, 2020|
PENGUIN SERIES: 02 GENTOO PENGUIN (POBJOY MINT)
The British Pobjoy Mint’s long love affair with the penguin continues with the release of the second of four 50p coins in their 2020 collection. These collections originated in 2017 with a 4-coin set issued for the Falkland Islands, followed by a similar set of 5 the following year. In 2019, they moved to the British Antarctic Territory, and this years set of four are issued for South Georgia & the Sandwich Islands. In all cases, it’s great to see issues for the subjects native habitat.
This issue follows the earlier Chinstrap Penguin and showcases the Gentoo. These are 50 pence coins, so employ that distinctive seven-sided format. A proof silver of 8 grams weight is the one we’re most interested in, but the coloured base-metal coin is probably a far easier and cheaper way to get a set together as they’re also available for sale in a neat themed collectors album, although that can also be purchased seperately for the silver variants. The silver coins do come packaged in an attractive solid acrylic frame, however, so the choice is yours.
The 2020 collection has a tiny silver mintage of just 199 pieces, with the coloured cupro-nickel capped at 2,500. Including VAT, the prices are £55 and £12.95 respectively, with the album just £5. Available to order now, they will ship from 10 August. An obvious favourite from Pobjoy, the penguin range will continue through 2020 with the Macaroni and King Penguins.
LINKS: PREVIOUS COIN IN THE SERIES
PREDATORS: RATTLESNAKE BULLION (2020, AllCollect)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-16T16:17:07+01:00July 16th, 2020|
PREDATORS: CROTALUS RATTLESNAKE (ALLCOLLECT)
Just last week we did a Quicklook at Panthera Tigris, the fourth issue in Allcollect’s Predators bullion coin series. We noted at the time that several other issues were in the wings, appearing at various places in a fairly haphazard way, but we’ll cover them as they go for sale. First of these is the only reptile to appear in the Predators range to date, the Rattlesnake.
As before, the signature feature of these coin is the mixed finish, eschewing a simple brilliant uncirculated strike for one that is a lot more varied. Each design employs an incused footprint (or in this case, a body part) that is partly reverse-proof finished, the foreground of the main coin, including the animal subject, has a matte finish, with the background field mirror proof style. They’re actually pretty nice coins, not done justice by these official images.
The mintage remains at 15,000 pieces, and the only format on offer is the ultra-popular one-ounce 0.999 silver. There is a 0.5g minigold subscription set that is comprised of sixteen designs, but we’re awaiting images of them all so we can add them to our Coin Series Profile (link below). Available to order now.
KOREAN GOLD PHOENIX BULLION COIN (2020, KOMSCO)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-15T21:27:33+01:00July 15th, 2020|
KOREAN GOLD PHOENIX BULLION COIN (2020, KOMSCO)
It was only two months ago that KOMSCO released the 2020 Korean Phoenix silver bullion coin, and now they’ve added a one-ounce gold version to sit alongside it. This was a pretty coin in silver form and nothing has been diminished in the trasnsition – quite the opposite. The innovative lenticular-style security feature that displays either of two Korean characters (‘Bong’ or ‘Hwang’), depending on how the coin is orientated.
Available from today, this 0.999 gold round has an unlimited mintage and is available from most bigger bullion dealers now that the KOMSCO product range has increased its profile over the last couple of years. Distributed by Coins Today. Check out fuller details on the silver coin at our original article link below.
LINKS: OUR ARTICLE ON THE SILVER COIN
MANDALORIAN MYTHOSAUR BULLION COIN (2020, NZ Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-07-14T19:37:40+01:00July 14th, 2020|
MANDALORIAN MYTHOSAUR (NZ MINT)
The New Zealand Mint’s Star Wars bullion coin range continues apace with the first issue to reference the new ‘The Mandalorian’ television series. Called ‘The Mandalorian Mythosaur’ the coin depicts the official sigil of the bounty hunter clan. It’s the first design in the series that isn’t instantly recognisable as a Star Wars item, although fans will lap it up.
The obverse is also interesting in that it is one of the rare Niue issues that does not display the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, but instead features the national coat of arms of the island nation. Two variants are again on offer, both a troy ounce in weight. The 0.999 silver version has a mintage of just 25,000 (low for the series), while the 0.9999 gold coin is capped at a tiny 250 pieces.
A decent detour for the range, and a brave attempt to do something a little different. Production numbers are the lowest to date, which will help. This one is an APMEXclusive, but you should be able to get them in a few of the bigger dealers that stock similar issues.
LINKS: STAR WARS BULLION COIN PROFILE