Spring Launch Special: Mint XXI debuts new ranges to its existing line-up, and these are our favourite three

Our third and last post of the day for Spring Launch, and after a selective look at the new issues from CIT and MDM, we come to another favourite of ours, Mint XXI. We expect some beautiful coins from this relatively young producer, given their past catalogue, and as you can see from the three new coins we’ve cherry-picked from their Spring launch, they’ve not disappointed.

Along with these three, there are plenty of others we’ll look at next week, most of them additions to existing series, but with some more originals in the mix. These three stood out to us, especially the first two, which are both quite sublime. The tried and trusted two-ounce silver format is reinforcing its position as the go-to balance between price and size, We’ll have some video round-up posts tomorrow, before diving in closer to some of the other releases from today’s three producers next week. Enjoy…

LEGACY OF THE GREATEST EMPIRES: ROMAN EMPIRE

We’ve always had a particular fascination with the ancient empires surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, and the greatest of them all, Rome, is particularly well documented and understood in comparison to the others. It’s the perfect choice to kick off a series called Legacy of the Greatest Empires, because Rome certainly left one of those. The design is superb, encapsulating so many individual elements to create a cohesive whole.

The main focus is a classically posed Emperor Augustus, replete with detail, but there’s so much more here. There’s a Centurion in full battle dress, with a cohort behind him, there’s the Colosseum, a terrific map of the empire picked out in colour, the famous wolf of legend that suckled Romulus and Remus (who went on to found the city of Rome), a couple of coins, and at the top picked out with gilding, an Imperial Eagle Standard. That’s quite a selection. Amazingly, it all works well together, with one element seamlessly flowing into another. We REALLY like this one.

The obverse, we suspect, is a common one for the series, as it’s filled with objects not specific to the Romans. The coloured chair is also at odds with the subject, and for us, the weakest part of the whole coin, but the obverse still remains of a standard that could fill the reverse face of a coin. It’s all as exquisitely realised as the main face. An outstanding first release, we’re going to wait with anticipation for future coins., with maybe the Mongols, the Greeks, and even the Brits getting a look in.

MINTS DESCRIPTION: Octavian Augustus was the most powerful and controversial Roman emperor. During his reign, the Roman Republic was transformed into a majestic empire, reached its pinnacle of flourishing, and witnessed Roman Peace. The details on the high relief coin reveal the greatness of the heyday of the empire. The obverse shows the other side of the remarkable power and strength of the emperor, filled with struggle, challenges, and betrayal. Besides symbols of power, there is also a place for a crawling snake and the skull, that symbolize an insidious treason and danger. Both the map and throne connecting the two sides: mighty power and the price that must be paid to maintain it.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION COMPOSITION DIAMETER FINISH MINTAGE
2,000 Francs CFA (Cameroon) 62.2 g of 0.999 silver 50 mm Antique, colour, gilding 500

FEMINA BELLATOR: VALKYRIES

The Valkyries are no stranger to the modern coin world, and we’ve seen some super designs over the last few years. If you’re going to start a series looking at the great female warrior castes from history, there’s no better place to start than here. Full of visual splendour, there’s a lot of striking imagery to work with, but even so, Mint XXI have outdone themselves here.

This is a straight-up gorgeous piece of coin art. Everything from the rearing horse resplendent in its decoration, to the coloured portrait, point to a producer at the top of their game. Everything is beautifully blended, with no jarring transitions, and the graduated blue colour is expertly done, avoiding garishness, and hammering home the icy nature of the Valkyrie’s origins. The moonstone, set into the front of her helmet, looks a natural fit for the design.

The obverse seems to be Norse themed, so perhaps a custom design for every release in this series. There’s a runic border and a wooden round shield in the centre, atop which is a flower, possibly a white lily, but that’s a guess on my part. The same blue colouration surrounds it. Again, it’s elegant, and shows that effort expended on the obverse face of a coin like this is not wasted. Like the Empire series above, on this evidence, we think Femina Bellator will be a series hotly anticipated every year, and deservedly so.

MINTS DESCRIPTION: Valkyrie is a first coin from the new Femina Bellator series about stunning warrior maidens. Valkyries are goddesses of Norse mythology who decide the fate of warriors and ride the courageous souls to Valhalla. Valkyries are sensitive and faithful creatures who can be fierce and cold-hearted when needed. The high relief technique highlights the sleek body of the fearless and strong female figure. A moonstone on the warrior maiden’s helmet represents the aurora borealis, which the Vikings believed to be the reflection of the Valkyrie’s sword.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION COMPOSITION DIAMETER FINISH MINTAGE
2,000 Francs CFA (Cameroon) 62.2 g of 0.999 silver 55 mm Antique, colour, moonstone insert 500

TWISTS OF DESTINY: THE GOLDEN TOUCH

Finally, we come to the first in a fairy tale themed series called ‘Twists of Destiny’, kicking off with one we don’t remember appearing on a coin before, the story of King Midas. We’re sure you know the tale of Midas, whose desire for gold led him to wish for a touch that would turn objects into gold. Early joy soon gave way to tragedy when upon placing his hand on his daughter, she turned to gold.

The artist has done a fine job bringing this tragic act to life. You can almost feel the pain and angst on the face of Midas. There are lots of gilded highlights, with the face of the daughter done to suggest the transformation is in progress, and some rich colour pointing to the wealth of the subject. The obverse is simpler than the previous two coins, but the heraldic flower looks good, and matches that on the robe worn by Midas on the reverse face. Overall, a fine interpretation of a classic tale.

MINTS DESCRIPTION: Be careful what you wish for, lest it comes true! The Golden Touch silver coin presents a famous scene from the King Midas story, who wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. He realised it was an irreversible curse while he accidentally turned his beloved daughter into gold in attempt to hug her. This legendary heartbreaking moment is depicted in high relief and digitally printed on a 2 oz coin. The effective use of fine gilding on this silver masterpiece especially emphasize an unwise chase for wealth from ancient legend of The Golden Touch.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION COMPOSITION DIAMETER FINISH MINTAGE
2,000 Francs CFA (Cameroon) 62.2 g of 0.999 silver 50 mm Antique, colour, gilding 500