April, 2025
Lucky Dragon 05 Xuánhuá one-ounce coloured silver bar (2025 Scottsdale Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-04-22T11:41:31+01:00April 22nd, 2025|
Lucky Dragon 05 Xuánhuá one-ounce coloured silver bar (2025 Scottsdale Mint)
The five-bar ‘Lucky Dragon’ range, from Scottsdale Mint, has come to an end with the debut today of the final design. These bars have released every week over the last month, but each is only sold for seven days, starting on a Monday. The mintage is set at whatever the orders are for that week. There’s also a giveaway with a chance to win the bar with the serial number 001. US collectors can enter that HERE. The giveaway has a couple of other prizes, which you can also read about at that link.
This one goes by the name Xuánhuá, and could well be my favourite of the five, depicting an almost elder statesman of the dragon world, dripping with power and wisdom. This has been a really exceptional series of minted silver bars, that are affordable, and very collectible. All the earlier bars are no longer available to order from Scottsdale Mint, so you’ll have to hit the secondary market if you want one. They’re sold encapsulated, and there seems to be a wooden box available separately.
If minted bars from Scottsdale Mint are your thing, we have just the bullion profile for you…
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 31.1 g of 0.999 silver | 50.0 x 29.0 mm | B/Unc, Colour | Unlimited (1 week) |
Lucky Dragon 04 Kuángyǐng one-ounce coloured silver bar (2025 Scottsdale Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-04-14T18:34:14+01:00April 14th, 2025|
Lucky Dragon 04 Kuángyǐng one-ounce coloured silver bar (2025 Scottsdale Mint)
As we reported a few days ago, the new five-bar range from Scottsdale Mint, called ‘Lucky Dragon’, sees the fourth issue drop today. The bars are released every week, for five weeks, and only sold for that week. The mintage is capped at whatever the orders are for that week.
The fourth is called Kuángyǐng, and is yet another terrific piece of Asian art. The earlier three bars are no longer available to order from Scottsdale Mint, so you’ll have to hit the secondary market if you want one. They’re sold encapsulated, and there seems to be a wooden box available separately.
There’s also a giveaway with a chance to win the bar with the serial number 001. US collectors can enter that HERE. The giveaway has a couple of other prizes, which you can also read about at that link. The last bar, called Xuánhuá, drops on 21st April. As always, we’ll give a heads-up on those days, so you don’t miss out.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 31.1 g of 0.999 silver | 50.0 x 29.0 mm | B/Unc, Colour | Unlimited (1 week) |
Jesus Cross 1oz silver coin (2025 Precious Metal Collectors)
Mik Woodgate2025-04-11T11:19:04+01:00April 11th, 2025|
Jesus Cross 1oz silver coin (2025 Precious Metal Collectors)
Here’s a quick look at a new version of a coin that Precious Metal Collectors released back in 2023. Shaped like a wooden cross, it’s adorned with the image of Jesus on both faces. On the reverse, it bears the inscription ‘INRI’, which is Latin for Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum, meaning “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”.
It’s an almost 100% copy of the original, but manages to do it with just an ounce of fine silver, compared to the original’s five ounces, so it’s much more affordable ($129 vs $589 on PMC’s own webstore). If religion is your thing, this brings it within reach, and it remains a very impressive, and quite respectful, design.
It comes boxed with a certificate of authenticity, and is available to order now.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| 5000 Francs CFA (Chad) | 31.1 g of 0.999 silver | 44.7 x 60.0 mm | Antique | 500 |
Fried Egg 16.8 gram silver coin (2025 Mint of Poland)
Mik Woodgate2025-04-08T09:49:23+01:00April 8th, 2025|
Fried Egg 16.8 gram silver coin (2025 Mint of Poland)
We thought we’d throw in something a little light-hearted, and what better way to start the day than a fried egg. The Mint of Poland has always had a penchant for the unusual, and this certainly fits that description. It isn’t the first time we’ve had an egg coin, with even the revered Monnaie de Paris issuing one back in 2017, one variant of which retailed at $130,000. That was a kilo of gold, however, enough to make even an ostrich walk bow-legged after laying it…
This one is a more restrained effort in terms of weight, weighing in at an unusual 16.81 grams of silver, and it’s fully shaped to ape an egg, if a little over crispy for my tastes. From the images, it looks like they’ve done a great job on the look of the coin, also keeping it free of intrusive inscriptions. There really isn’t much more to say really – it’s a fried egg. The obverse carries the shield emblem of Cameroon, along with the inscribed issue details.
The box is one of those latex-skin ‘floating frames’ we like, all cleverly themed out internally. Overall, it does what it sets out to do just about perfectly, and at just over half-ounce, it’s probably about the same price as an actual egg to our American readers! With food coins seemingly having a niche of their own, we reckon this one will find plenty of plates to reside on. Available to order now, it seems to be up for pre-order at quite a few places, so check out our Where to Buy link below.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| 500 Francs CFA (Cameroon) | 16.81 g of 0.999 silver | 41.0 mm | Proof, Colour | 777 |
Lucky Dragon 03 Tianyi one-ounce coloured silver bar (2025 Scottsdale Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-04-07T22:54:29+01:00April 7th, 2025|
Lucky Dragon 03 Tianyi one-ounce coloured silver bar (2025 Scottsdale Mint)
A few days ago, we reported on a new five-bar range from Scottsdale Mint with a rather intense release schedule. Called ‘Lucky Dragon’, the bars are released every week, for five weeks, and only sold for that week. The mintage is capped at whatever the orders are for that week.
The third came out today (above), and is called Tianyi. Another really nice piece of Asian art, that forms a coherent set with the first two bars (below). They are sold encapsulated, although there seems to be a wooden box available separately.
There’s also a giveaway with a chance to win the bar with the serial number 001. US collectors can enter that HERE. The giveaway has a couple of other prizes, which you can also read about at that link. The next bar drops on 14 April, with the last released on the 21st. We’ll give a heads-up on those days, so you don’t miss out.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 31.1 g of 0.999 silver | 50.0 x 29.0 mm | B/Unc, Colour | Unlimited (1 week) |
The Intervention of the Sabine Women Tri-Metal silver coin (2025 Precious Metal Collectors)
Mik Woodgate2025-04-07T22:59:31+01:00April 4th, 2025|
The Intervention of the Sabine Women Tri-Metal silver coin (2025 Precious Metal Collectors)
The latest in Precious Metal Collector’s copious line-up of fine art coins is now available to order, and this time it’s a 1799 work by Jacques-Louis Davis, called ‘The Intervention of the Sabine Women’. The painting is based around the story of early Rome, who set out to raid the neighbouring Sabine people, and capture their women, because Rome had a severe shortage of them. A few years later, King Titus Tatius of the Sabine, waged a war to get them back.
The women, now integrated into Roman society, stood between the warring forces, with their new husbands on one side of the battle, and their families on the other. The painting, an extraordinary piece of art, depicts this scene, with the Roman leader, Romulus, on the left, and Tatius on the right, held apart by Hersilia, the wife of Romulus and daughter of the Sabine king.
The original work, undertaken over four years, is a giant 3.85 x 5.22 metres in size, so getting this onto a coin without hacking away at the original would normally require some compromises, but this is one of PMC’s innovative Tri-Metal coins. Here, a 750 gram piece of Zinc has a 120 gram base layer of copper bonded to it, and a 2.5 oz layer of fine silver on top. The end result is a thick coin that reaches 165 x 125 mm in size, without costing a fortune. PMC has a wide range of these, and you can see them all in our comprehensive Coin Series Profile to the range. Available to order now.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| 10,000 Francs CFA (Chad) | 2.5oz 999 Ag, 750g 999 Zn, 120g 999 Cu | 165.0 x 125.0 mm | Various, Colour | 399 |
Lucky Dragon one-ounce coloured silver bar (2025 Scottsdale Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-04-07T22:58:00+01:00April 3rd, 2025|
Lucky Dragon one-ounce coloured silver bar (2025 Scottsdale Mint)
We’ve been covering Scottsdale Mint’s ever-expanding range of coloured, one-ounce, minted silver bars for a while now, as we feel they do have some crossover with the coin market, having a reliance on artistic design. This particular range encompasses quite a few different themes, and we collected them all into one of our Bullion Profiles, so feel free to check that out.
The latest is one of the best yet, and comes with a unique release/mintage system in place. There are five bars in the set, with one released every week, and only sold for that week. The mintage for each design will be capped at the end of that week. The second bar is now out (sorry, we missed the first bar, Jing), and is the orange dragon below, called ‘Huǒyàn’. Beautiful designs, but I’ve always been a sucker for classic Asian art like this.
They come encapsulated, and we think these will make a fine addition to the bar collector’s stash. After all, aren’t dragons supposed to hoard precious metal? Also, each week, there’s a giveaway with a chance to win the bar with the serial number 001. US collectors can enter that HERE. The giveaway has a couple of other prizes, which you can also read about at that link. The next bar drops on 07 April, with subsequent issues on the 14th and 21st. A nice addition to this range, it joins the Halloween series as our favourite.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 31.1 g of 0.999 silver | 50.0 x 29.0 mm | B/Unc, Colour | Limited (1 week) |
Jimi Hendrix one-ounce proof silver coin (2025 Perth Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-04-01T18:40:27+01:00April 1st, 2025|
Jimi Hendrix one-ounce proof silver coin (2025 Perth Mint)
Music legends don’t get any more legendary than James Marshall Hendrix, known to the world as Jimi Hendrix. His mastery of the electric guitar was almost absolute, and his hits remain loved to this day. Born in 1942, he started with the guitar when he was 15, but only gained fame when he moved to England in late 1966, where he formed a band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
The band released three studio albums, and Hendrix became the world’s highest paid musician, headlining some of the UK’s biggest festivals. It was not to last, sadly, as in 1970, at the age of 27, and after years of substance abuse, he succumbed to a cocktail of drugs in a London apartment. His unique sound, and intense life made him a member of a very elite group of musicians, one held in high regard by his peers.
The coin follows the same pattern as the Perth Mint’s earlier Bon Scott, and Aretha Franklin issues, although instead of a greyscale image, the design leans into the psychedelic nature of his times, with a vibrant purple and orange decoration, straight from the 1960s. Hendrix is portrayed playing his Fender Stratocaster guitar.
The obverse is a basic one, featuring the effigy of King Charles III. The presentation is first-class, the coin displayed in a black box with a solid acrylic lid, inside a themed outer shipper, and with a COA. Some 5,000 of these one-ounce proof silver coins will be minted. Available today, we’ve also added it to our big Thematic Guide to Modern Music coins.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| $1 TVD (Tuvalu) | 31.107 g of 0.9999 silver | 16.25 mm | Proof, Colour | 5,000 |
Imperial Eagle 1/10 ounce gold bullion coin (2025 Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre)
Mik Woodgate2025-04-01T16:44:53+01:00April 1st, 2025|
Imperial Eagle 1/10 ounce gold bullion coin (2025 Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre)
For the fourth year, the Spanish mint, Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (FNMT), is launching a new 3.1 gram (1/10oz) gold bullion coin, in an annual series featuring wildlife from the region. The range debuted in 2022 with the Iberian Lynx, followed by 2023s Bull, and 2024s Carthusian Horse. For 2024, the design is of an Imperial Eagle in flight, and it continues the series design language in having a reverse proof animal over a frosted background field.
It’s a nice depiction for a 16.25 mm diameter bullion coin, although the common obverse means it has to share real estate with the issue inscriptions. That obverse is a Spanish classic, featuring the Columnario of the Real de a Ocho, more commonly known internationally (particularly by talking parrots, apparently) as the ‘Piece of Eight’. This specific design dates back to 1732, and was known in English as the ‘Pillar Dollar’.
There’s only the tenth-ounce gold format available in this bullion series, and it has a mintage of 20,000 pieces. The coins are sold encapsulated, and in a small drawstring bag emblazoned with the mints crest in gold. A nice addition to the range, and a relatively affordable one, given gold’s stratospheric rise in the spot price of late. Available now.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| 0.15 EURO (Spain) | 3.111 g of 0.9999 gold | 16.25 mm | Reverse-proof | 20,000 |
March, 2025
Divine Weapons: Zeus Thunderbolt antiqued 2oz silver miniature (2025 Coins Today)
Mik Woodgate2025-03-24T10:58:42+00:00March 24th, 2025|
Divine Weapons: Zeus Thunderbolt antiqued 2oz silver miniature (2025 Coins Today)
Back in January, we reported on the debut of a new series of miniatures from Coin’s Today called ‘Divine Weapons’ the first of which was the Thunderbolt of Zeus. This was a limited antiqued miniature, with some quite extensive gilded highlighting. Now, the South Korean producer has launched the more common antiqued variant,
We won’t go into too much detail here, as you can head on over to the original article for more information, but suffice to say, this is another superb design, which bodes well for the next issues to come in the series. This one has a mintage of 3,000 pieces, and is available to order now. It also comes boxed with a COA.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| Undenominated | 62.2 g of 0.9999 silver | 44.0 x 180.0 mm | Antique | 3,000 |
Four Horsemen Red Horse 2oz cast silver bar (2025 Carpathian Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-03-20T19:09:33+00:00March 20th, 2025|
Four Horsemen Red Horse 2oz cast silver bar (2025 Carpathian Mint)
The second of the two new Carpathian Mint coloured, two-ounce cast silver bars released today is our favourite of the pair, part of their Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse range. This is also the second release, although this series will have four in total, and follows the earlier ‘White Horse’ bar.
We reckon the Red Horse is an even better design, very powerful and attractive imagery, and certainly getting over the point that this is War. The Red Horsemen is associated more with civil war and internal strife, than the wars of conquest represented by the White Horsemen. Whatever the case, a fine piece of artwork. It also comes boxed with a COA, and has a mintage of 500 pieces. Check out the other bars in our profile of the programme.
| 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 |
Grim Reaper II 2oz cast silver bar (2025 Carpathian Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-03-20T18:40:15+00:00March 20th, 2025|
Grim Reaper II 2oz cast silver bar (2025 Carpathian Mint)
The Carpathian Mint, amongst its often very impressive coin issues, also puts out some coloured, two-ounce cast silver bars under the Germania Mint program, and the two series currently ongoing, have both received new additions. The first one we’re looking at is the second in their Grim Reaper range, showcasing imagery around everyone’s favourite incarnation of death.
This one looks mightily creepy, the atmosphere full of mystical electricity, and the hooded figure carries the traditional scythe on its back, so obviously someone is having a bad day! It’s a colourful piece of art, and a fine continuation of the first bar. It comes boxed with a COA, and has a mintage of 500 pieces. Check out the other bars in our profile of the programme.
| 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 |
White Wind Dress 3.8 g silver pendant coin (2025 Lithuanian Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-03-19T10:08:52+00:00March 19th, 2025|
White Wind Dress 3.8 g silver pendant coin (2025 Lithuanian Mint)
A new coin from the Lithuanian Mint joins the relatively uncommon wearable’s genre with a format made to be worn like a pendent. It bares a simple, stylish design, with a very Marilyn Monroe-esque depiction of a woman in an up blown white dress. Inset into her hair, is a small diamond, but otherwise, this face is mercifully full of inscriptions.
The inscriptions all sit on the obverse, for this is a fully denominated coin, issued for Liberia. It’s a cool looking piece, and we can imagine it having appeal as a piece of jewellery. At 3.8 grams in weight, it is light enough to not annoy the wearer, and at 30 mm tall, not too large. It comes with a sterling silver chain, so can be immediately worn out of the box. Available to order now with an RRP of 110.00€, it has a mintage of 1,000 units.
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | DIMENSIONS | FINISH | MINTAGE |
| $1 (Liberia) | 3.80 g of 0.9999 silver | 30.0 x 10.0 mm | Proof-like, Diamond | 1,000 |
Gods: Ull 2oz cast silver bar (2025 Germania Mint)
Mik Woodgate2025-03-18T13:38:24+00:00March 18th, 2025|
Gods: Ull 2oz cast silver bar (2025 Germania Mint)
The second of Germania Mint’s own series in their coloured cast 2oz silver bar program, one used by many other producers to bring designs to market, was Gods, closely following the now complete Goddesses series of six designs. Gods is also a six-bar range, and we suspect one that was due to complete last year, and also remains grounded in Northern European mythology.
The fifth bar, the penultimate one, has now debuted, and features Ull (‘Glory’), the Norse god of winter and hunting. Known for his nobility, and his skill with a bow, Ull lived in Ydalir, the ‘Valley of Yew Trees’, where he created the finest bows. A god so respected he ruled Asgard when Odin was exiled, he remains one of the lesser known gods, but one of the most important.
It’s another fantastic piece of art, very Norse in style, and beautifully coloured. This series, and indeed the prior Goddesses one, have been known for their quality art, and this one is no exception. The mintage remains at 500, and they’re boxed with a COA. One of the best in this program, Gods, will finish with the launch of Njörðr later this year. It’s another fine design. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like they have a successor series to either range in the making, but we hope they do, as these seem to be popular. In the meantime, you can see all the releases in our comprehensive bullion profile.
| 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 |
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 |