The Cyborg Revolution is here! Powercoin land ‘The Alien’ to launch a new five issue series

Oh well, a few days off turned into a few minutes as we almost immediately got a new coin to report on! As it’s a cyborg, I’m taking a break from taking a break and here we are. We always look forward to issues from Powercoin, who despite being known predominately as a coin dealer, are also responsible for some really special coins, like the Micromosaic Passion, and the Eternal Sculptures series. This one is a bit different.

There’s surprisingly little conceptual science-fiction on modern coins. Lots of popular media franchises, of course, and some hard science concepts, but little in the way of imaginative originals. ‘The Alien’ is the first in a five coin series to be released one per annum, and is called ‘Cyborg Revolution’. It will tell the story of an invasion, from the first arrival, to the grand final battle for freedom.

Fully employing the CIT/BH Mayer smartminting technology, the three-ounce fine silver coin is a cool mix of ultra high-relief, and vivid, almost fluorescent metallic colour. It’s a striking design, showing us the alien on its surface to the left, morphing into a view of its inner workings on the right. All the surrounding area is filled with a detailed look at the inner and outer workings of this extraordinary biomechanical being. Thankfully, they’ve kept this reverse face free of intrusive inscriptions.

The obverse is also a neat one, continuing the mechanical theme with what could be the support circuitry for the equipment on the main face of the coin. The concentric layout fits the coin shape well, and the central area is set aside for the issue details, including the national shield emblem of Palau. Everything is done in a black proof finish.

I’m pleased they took the time out to photograph the coin well and with plenty of angles. It lets you clearly see the impressive levels of high-relief employed here. The eyes in particular, are deep and contoured, and the pipework is far more defined that you would expect from the face-on image. Even the obverse is impressive in this regard, with that central area sitting well below the level of the surrounding area. Top stuff and nice and original.

Packaging is comprised of one of the neat latex-skin ‘floating’ frames, with a themed insert. The mintage is set at a typical 499 pieces and it’s available to order now. Next year will see the release of ‘Cyborg Boy’ followed in subsequent years by ‘Cyborg Dog’, ‘Cyborg Total War’, and finally, ‘Cyborg Earth’. On the evidence of this first issue, we’ll be looking forward to seeing the set unfold and predict it will form a striking and unique quintet. We’ll have to wait until 2025 to find out who won the war!!

MINTS DESCRIPTION

They have arrived, and they are not as we always imagined them. They are not human, they are not androids … they are cyborgs. An organic body dresses a robotic machine. They are not hostile, they are not scary, but they integrate with us as if the Earth belonged to them and the guests have become us, the men.