Samoan Seahorse bullion coin returns for a third issue and it could be the best one yet

Some of the most popular bullion coins of the last couple of decades have been those emanating from the Perth Mint. Take an iconic animal and place it on a coin, but change the artwork every year. Collectors love the fresh designs every year,and stackers like the enhanced appreciation many of these coins attract because of mintages far lower than the fixed designs of the ‘big guns’, like the Eagle, the Maple and the Britannia.

Scottsdale Mint have emerged over the last few years as a wellspring of new, limited mintage bullion series, and one of the more attractive ones is also an annually changing, nature-themed series called the Samoan Seahorse. Launched two years ago with a charming, if simplistic design, it returned in 2019 with a far superior looking piece, and with an even more limited antique-version in tow.

For 2020, Scottsdale have wisely continued with the look of the second coin for its third issue, mixing in a little of that Hokusai-style for the waves and Polynesian for the background pattern. The result, especially in antiqued form, is quite superb. Each of the two variants remains at an ounce of 0.999 silver in weight, but for 2020, and no doubt due to Coroney, the mintage has dropped from the combined 30,000 pieces, down to just 7,500 for the standard finish, and 2,000 for the antiqued. Terrific design, low mintage and sensible premiums. What’s not to like? Available now.

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SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION 2 Tala (Samoa) 2 Tala (Samoa)
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver 0.999 silver
WEIGHT 31.1 grams 3.11 grams
DIMENSIONS 38.6 mm 38.6 mm
FINISH Brilliant uncirculated Antiqued
MODIFICATIONS None None
MINTAGE 7,500 2,000
BOX / C.O.A. No / No No / No