Scottsdale Mint adds a second coin to its War Elephant series of gold and silver bullion coins

We have a feeling it’s going to be another bumper year for new releases at the Scottsdale Mint, and we’re starting off our coverage with the second in a series that debuted in 2022 – War Elephant. This giant land animal is no stranger to numismatics, especially bullion, where Emporium Hamburg have had an iconic series running for two decades, but Scottsdale have added an unusual twist to the subject.

War Elephants were a powerful force multiplier in the ancient world, especially on the Indian subcontinent, but also in North Africa, most famously utilised by the Carthaginian general, Hannibal Barca, in his war with the Roman Empire. His crossing of the Alps with them has become the stuff of legend. In reality, they could be a handful, especially if spooked on the battlefield, often causing chaos in their own ranks,

The design is a closer, and more dynamic look at the beast in action than the 2022 coin, with more fine detail, but sans any humans. It looks good, in our view, especially the way the ornate border interacts with the elephant. The obverse carries the coat-of-arms of Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory at the western end of the Mediterranean.

There are two versions of the coin in the range. Of most interest will be the simple one-ounce 0.999 silver version with a 15,000 coin mintage. It’s a straight-up bullion coin, so shouldn’t empty the wallet in the same way a proof coin would. The gold version has a substantially lower mintage of just 100 pieces, and comes boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity. Available now, we’ve added this one to our enormous Bullion Profile of Scottsdale ranges.