A huge hit for The Perth Mint back in 2006, and the debut release in the mint’s hit Deadly & Dangerous series that continues to this day, the Redback Spider garnered considerable interest on the aftermarket at the time. A 20th anniversary edition arrived earlier this year, and seems to have been well received, but now the mint has gone full in with an uber-special.

This is not a rehash of the original, having a completely new design, but the ancestry is clear. The implementation, however, is very much new, and on a whole other level. The base coin, with its simple Outback landscape, is struck in two ounces of fine gold, with a bog standard Australian effigy obverse. The striking addition, and one sure to turn heads and simultaneously divide opinions, is the spider set upon it. This, and its section of webbing, are formed in 18kt gold, with the spider then coloured in black. Set in its back are 47 small black diamonds that add up to about a carat, and where the distinctive red spot would be, a ruby weighing around 0.17 carats. With its fine tracery and legs, it’s an impressive realisation of the legendary wee beastie, but it’s also quite blingy in style.

That isn’t really a problem for almost everyone reading this, as with a price of $35,000 AUD, and a mintage of just 60 pieces, it won’t be a decision we’ll have to agonise over . . . As a showpiece of the numismatic arts, it’s an impressive demonstration, but given the cost, a largely irrelevant one for collectors. The presentation is excellent, as it should be, and kudos to the mint for the effort and result, regardless.