June, 2020
ROMAN EMPERORS: MARCUS AURELIUS (2020, IPZS)
Mik Woodgate2020-06-15T15:05:40+01:00June 15th, 2020|
ROMAN EMPERORS: MARCUS AURELIUS (IPZS)
Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor of Rome from 161 to 180, the fifth of the Five Good Emperors (a term coined by Machiavelli centuries later), and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire. Despite that, his reign is one of military campaigning, seeking to expand and solidify Rome’s borders. The tragedy that was the devestating Antonine Plague (killing around 5 million) occured during his reign.
He is widely known today for his writings in the field of philosophy, called ‘Meditations’. Marcus was a proponent of Stoicism, the idea that pain and suffering should be borne without complaint, and that the world is best understood without displays of emotion. A popular belief at the time, it faded as Christianity took a greater hold over Roman belief systems. Under his rule, the silver denarius was debased from 93.5% purity to 83.5%.
The coin is the latest in the Roman Emperors series by the Italian mint IPZS. Struck in 3 grams of 0.900 gold and with a slightly disappointing diameter of 13.85 mm, we’re big admirers of this series. Hadrian, Trajan and Augustus were the previous subjects, and Marcus Aurelius follows a similar style. The obverse is of a bust of Aurelius residing in Ephesus Archaeological Museum, Selçuk, Turkey, while the reverse has a close up of an equestrian statue of the Emperor which is in Rome’s Capitoline Museums. Available from 23 June for €180.00, it has a mintage of 1,000 pieces.
LINKS: PREVIOUS COINS IN THE SERIES
SENSATION COMICS #1 FOIL (2020, NZ Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-05-30T01:18:54+01:00June 15th, 2020|
DC COMICS COVERS: SENSATION COMICS #1 (NZ MINT)
One of the New Zealand Mint’s superb ‘Premium Foil’ series, DC Comic Covers reproduces some of the iconic cover artwork from the last 80 years of what is now known today as DC. Some of the most popular superheroes around have been birthed in this period, and with the genre now more popular than ever, although ironically not as actual comics, these are a great way for the fan to obtain the artwork of comics now worth hundreds of thousands.
The eleventh issue to date, this 35 gram, 262 x 175mm silver foil reproduces the cover from the January 1942 debut issue of Sensation Comics. One of the first appearances of Wonder Woman, she appears on the cover depicted exactly how you would imagine for 1940’s sensibilities. The comic fan will love these as they’re close in size to the original and easy to display in their acrylic frames. Available from today, you can read more about the range in our profile.
BIG CATS SERIES: THE PANTHER (2020, Pobjoy Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-06-11T16:53:39+01:00June 11th, 2020|
BIG CATS SERIES: THE PANTHER (POBJOY MINT)
Pobjoy Mint’s selection of Big Cat coins adds to the litter with the third issue in it’s 2oz proof silver series. Launched early this year with a Lion design, and followed up by one featuring the Cheetah, the latest entrant depicts a Panther. The style of these are quite distinctive and consistent – showing a portrait view of the animal in profile. Very nicely realised, they seem to exhibit a surprising level of depth with the high-relief strike. We find the inscriptions a little over-large, but that’s a minor quiblle in what looks to be a good-looking coin.
Issued for Sierra Leone, that African nations coat of arms fills the obverse face and is a very appropriate choice given its use of two rampant and one heraldic lions in the composition. Presentation of the 500 mintage issue is excellent, with the use of a solid-block acrylic display frame. A themed outer shipper and a Certificate of Authenticity round out the package. Selling for just under £100 pre-tax, it should ship from next week and will be followed later in the year by two more coins – the Tiger, and the Cougar.
CENTENARY SINCE THE BIRTH OF JANOS HARSANYI (2020, Hungarian Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-06-11T16:55:24+01:00June 9th, 2020|
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF JANOS HARSANYI (HUNGARIAN MINT)
Harsányi János Károly; May 29, 1920 – August 9, 2000) was a Hungarian-American Nobel Prize laureate economist, born in 1920 and best known for his contributions in the field of ‘game theory’ and how it applies to economics. Game theory is used to study logical decision making in humans, animals, and computers, using mathematics, with applications in all fields of social science. You can bet that your life has been steered by some application of the theory many times. Harsányi was awarded the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, along with John Nash and Reinhard Selten.
A fraction over an ounce at 31.46 grams, this sterling silver (0.925) coin is 38.61 mm in diameter and struck to a proof standard. The obverse has a triangular staircase dropping down into infinity, while a simple ladder reaches down, seemingly cutting through the complexity in the simplest possible way. A clever depiction. The reverse face features a stylised sculpted portrait of the man himself – a particularly well done one in our view.
All told, a nice numismatic celebration of the man and his esoteric work. The coin has a mintage of 5,000 pieces and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, although a small box is an optional extra. The coin sells for a very reasonable €28.50, with the box an extra €3.50 is you want it. Quite a niche coin, of course, but a good example of the genre.
LINKS: HUNGARIAN MINT PAGE
BATMAN HUSH #4 THE KISS (2020, NZ MINT)
Mik Woodgate2020-06-11T16:58:44+01:00June 2nd, 2020|
BATMAN HUSH: THE KISS (NZ MINT)
Fourth and last entry in a series continuing the art of comics legend Jim Lee, produced for Batman: Hush. Antique finished with colour highlights, these remain one of our favoiurite coins of the genre.
Available now, these are very well presented in a solid acrylic frame which look great. Price is around $105.00 USD
LINKS: PREVIOUS COINS IN THE SERIES
KOALA HIGH RELIEF GOLD & SILVER (2020, Perth Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-06-01T22:45:32+01:00June 2nd, 2020|
KOALA HIGH RELIEF GOLD & SILVER (Perth Mint)
Another of the Perth Mint’s perennial bullion core ranges, the Koala debuted in 2007, and remains a popular item today, despite the greatly intensified level of competition with a multitude of low mintage designs. As always, the bullion range is the basis for a myriad of different higher end variants, including proof, gilded, coloured and high-relief. It’s the last of those that we have here today.
Three versions of this pretty design, none at the lower end of the mints numismatic range. The gold variants are 1oz (27.6 mm, 200 mintage) and 2oz (36.6 mm, 100 mintage) in weight, with the solitary silver coin weighing in at 5oz (50.9 mm, 500 mintage). All are nicely presented, particularly the silver in the clear lidded acrylic box. Priced at $4,100, $8,199, and $529 AUD respectively, they’re available from today.
KOOKABURRA 2oz GILDED HIGH RELIEF (2020, Perth Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-05-30T21:47:09+01:00June 2nd, 2020|
KOOKABURRA GILDED HIGH RELIEF 2oz (PERTH MINT)
One of the Perth Mint’s core bullion coin ranges, the Kookaburra hit an impressive landmark in 2020 with its 30th anniversary. Not wanting to let the achievement pass unmarked, the mint issued a superb design that had all new artwork by Jennifer McKenna on the reverse face, as you would expect, but also incorporated the Stuart Devlin original from 1990 into the effigy-adorned obverse. For me, the best Kookaburra coin issued for years ad one that deserves a place in any bullion collectors set.
As well as the usual bullion variants, the Perth Mint goes to town on a whole raft of specials, and for the Kookaburra, they’ve issued this really lovely high-relief variant complete with two-sided gilded highlights. No other changes for this 2oz coin, and it comes in one of the mints cool new acrylic-lidded black boxes with the usual themed shipper and C.O.A. Selling for $199.00 AUD and with a mintage of just 1,000 pieces, a fine way to mark three decades of this bullion icon.
DINOSAURIA: HYLAEOSAURUS (2020, ROYAL MINT)
Mik Woodgate2020-06-01T02:59:59+01:00June 1st, 2020|
DINOSAURIA: HYLAEOSAURUS (ROYAL MINT)
The third and last of the Royal Mint’s excellent 50p dinosaur coin set is available to purchase from today and rounds out what has been an attractive trio. Produced in conjunction with the Natural History Museum in London, the coins depict the beast in colour, with a close up of a fossil, also in colour, and some un-coloured flora in the background field. The name of an early palaeontologist sits proudly at the bottom.
The coins are the first from the Royal Mint to use Augmented Reality, using your smartphone to display exclusive multimedia content when you’ve scanned the barcode on the packaging. The mint also has a new ‘dig’ page on their site just for the kids. Available in gold, silver and base metal. Check out our original article at the link below for more details. Hopefully, this series will be back next year.
LINKS: PREVIOUS COINS IN THE SERIES
May, 2020
HISTORY OF POLISH COIN: GDANSK ZLOTY (2020, NBP)
Mik Woodgate2020-05-30T02:23:40+01:00May 30th, 2020|
HISTORY OF POLISH COIN: GDANSK ZLOTY OF AUGUSTUS III (NBP)
A favourite of ours and a series that should have great appeal to the classic numismatist, ‘History of Polish Coin’ takes a centuries long journey through the coinage of this Central European country. Starting in 2013 with a 1,000 year old design, we’ve now moved forward to the mid 18th century for this 14th issue. These are not direct copies of the originals, rather they reproduce the coin as a coin on the coin, if that makes sense.
This new issue focuses on the Gdansk Zloty of Augustus III. The obverse is portrayed almost complete, while the reverse of the original is completely shown on the reverse of this one. You can see the history in them, and if you have an interest in coins like these, I do recommend our profile to the series which has all of them to date. A standard ounce in weight with a mintage of 12,000 pieces, this sterling silver coin will be available from 16th June.
LINKS: PREVIOUS COINS IN THE SERIES
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE (2020, CBR)
Mik Woodgate2020-05-28T03:07:19+01:00May 28th, 2020|
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RUSSIAN FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE (CBR)
Very much in the news over the last couple of years, the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SVR) is tasked with ‘the safety of individuals, the society and the state against external threats’ much like Britain’s MI6 or the USA’s CIA. Tracing its origins back to 20 December 1920, when Felix Dzerzhinsky signed an order for the creation of the Foreign Division (INO) in the Cheka, it has gone through various name changes in the intervening period. Many of them have been feared – OGPU, NKVD and KGB, amongst them, always in the thick of whatever is going on.
It remains a force today as the SVR, reporting directly to the Russian President on what’s going on in the world and how it affects Russia. With the Central Bank of Russia appearing to enjoy issuing coins celebrating the seemingly endless minutiae of the Russian governmental system, there was no way the centennial anniversary of the SVR was not getting a coin. Indeed, there are two.
The sterling silver coin (31.1g, 39mm) has a touch of colour and depicts the main building complex of the SVR in Moscow. The fine gold coin (7.78g, 22.6mm) depicts he medium emblem of the Foreign Intelligence Service. Both carry the main inscription ‘СЛУЖБА ВНЕШНЕЙ РАЗВЕДКИ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ’ (FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION) along the rim, and ‘100 ЛЕТ’ (100 YEARS) sits below it, above a laurel branch. The silver has a mintage of 3,000 pieces, with the gold capped at 1,000. With a century of history, no doubt fascinating, the choice of a nondescript building on the silver is a bit disappointing, but the gold coin with the emblem is a nice one in our view.
LINKS: CENTRAL BANK OF RUSSIA
2020 PENGUIN SERIES: CHINSTRAP PENGUIN (Pobjoy Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-05-27T17:10:44+01:00May 27th, 2020|
PENGUIN SERIES: CHINSTRAP PENGUIN (POBJOY MINT)
Pobjoy has a long history with the trqaditional British 50 pence coin, and while the UK issues are obviously dealt with by the Royal Mint, they’ve carved out a healthy niche in the Overseas Territories. In 2019, the mint issued a five-coin series depicting penguins. The lovable little bird-torpedoes were popular enough to warrant a new series for 2020, this time four coins big.
There’s no real change to the design ethos in use here. A simple rendition of the subject under the penguin name at the top and the denomination at the bottom. The silver coin is struck to a proof finish using 8.0 grams of sterling 0.925 silver. A mintage of just 199 pieces for this 27.3 mm diameter coin. To be honest, the base metal (CuNi) version is why these coins exist and are so popular. First off, they’re coloured, which is applied with admiral restraint. Secondly, at £12.99 (incl VAT), they’re very affordable with a diamond finish and 2,500 mintage. Whatever you choose, they remain a clean looking and bang on point coin series.
The only real difference from last year is the change of issuer from British Antarctic Territory, to South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands. Both have an obverse that carries Pobjoy’s own effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. The silver coin comes in a solid block acrylic frame, which are great, while the base metal variant comes in a pouch. A collectors album is available for about £5. This Chinstrap Penguin issue is available to buy now and will ship from 15th June.
DUTCH SILVER DUCATS: HEESWIJK CASTLE (2020, Royal Dutch Mint)
Mik Woodgate2020-05-27T17:12:40+01:00May 25th, 2020|
DUTCH SILVER DUCAT: HEESWIJK CASTLE (ROYAL DUTCH MINT)
The Royal Dutch Mint’s ‘Silver Ducat’ range switched over from ‘The 12 Provinces‘ to ‘Dutch castles’ for 2020, and this one, Heeswijk Castle, is the second of twelve to be issued, following De Haar Castle in February. These are 28.25g in weight, with a 40mm diameter. They’re struck in the rarely used 0.873 fineness silver to a proof standard and come in a tin. The mintage is 2,000.
Heeswijk Castle in North-Brabant, was the site of a wooden stronghold dating back to 1080. It was continually built up and strengthened over the centuries, and achieved some fame in 1672 when the French King Louis XIV and the English signed a treaty there to divide up the conquered Netherlands. The castle remains a popular tourist destination.
The figure on the Ducat is Godard van Reede, who accompanied William of Orange when he invaded England in 1688. After winning a campaign against the followers of James II in 1691, he was naturalised as an English citizen. He returned to the Netherlands in 1702 and became the first Field Marshal of the Dutch States Army.
2020 YOU & ME (MINT OF POLAND)
Mik Woodgate2020-05-22T21:52:03+01:00May 22nd, 2020|
YOU & ME (MINT OF POLAND)
There’s no shortage of coins touting the themes of love and romance. Hearts, doves and the like have been a perpetual theme in the numismatic world, but it’s good to see some unusual interpretations appear from time to time, like this new issue from the Mint of Poland. It eschews the traditional artistic tropes for a modern art style – one you’ll either love or hate.
I’m not sure how well it gets the subject over, but the flowing style is attractive enough and if you get the message, or love your modern art, it’s nice enough. It’s 17.5 grams of 0.999 silver that reaches out to a very impressive 50 mm diameter. Presented in a latex floating frame, it has a 999 mintage.
LINKS:
2020 250th ANNIVERSARY OF BEETHOVEN’S BIRTH (HELVETIC MINT)
Mik Woodgate2020-05-21T15:17:25+01:00May 21st, 2020|
250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF BEETHOVEN (HELVETIC MINT)
Along with Mozart, Beethoven is a byword for musical genius. While his exact birthdate is not known, he was baptised on 17th December 1770, so 2020 is considered his 250th anniversary. His first major orchestral work premiered in 1800 and he died just 27 years later, leaving behind a highly regarded body of music, even more impressive in light of his increasing deafness – losing his hearing completely by 1814.
The Helvetic Mint is issuing a new 1oz proof silver coin in celebration of the anniversary with a mintage of just 500 pieces. It uses an Alex Vorodeyez design penned for a bullion round produced by Euromint (also in gold). This time however, it carries legal tender status in Niue. It’s actually a very nice design with a super profile portrait of the man done in a style that seems to ape sculpture of his time. The background is a mix of period architecture overlaid with musical notation. It’s all very atmospheric and a nice celebration of the composers life and work. Available exclusively from Euromint, although we can’t see it there yet.
2020 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF APOLLO 13 (POBJOY MINT)
Mik Woodgate2020-05-21T02:56:08+01:00May 21st, 2020|
APOLLO 13 LUNAR MODULE (POBJOY MINT)
Last year was a big coin event with the 50th anniversary of the amazing moon landing, undertaken on the Apollo 11 by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. While that was a success, it wasn’t all plain sailing for NASA. Just a year later, the Apollo 13 mission to return to the moon almost ended in tragedy and the death of all on board.
A gas explosion meant the landing was abandoned and the Lunar Module, designed to support two people, had to get the three occupants all the way home safely. That it did so was a triumph of human engineering and ingenuity.
Pobjoys new Ascension Island issued sterling silver coin pictures the moment the module splashes down in the South Pacific and has a great design. The reverse face is dished to enhance relief. It’s a 2oz coin with a 38.6 mm diameter and a mintage of 650. A 13oz (404.35 g) version with a mintage of just 50 pieces was also produced, but is already sold out before general release. Such is the interest in this exciting time in human history. Available to order now.