The first in a new series celebrating 100 years of Warner Brothers Studios, the legendary moviemakers. To say the NZ Mint has an extensive catalogue to choose from is a blatant understatement, so we’re expecting quite a varied selection as 2023 progresses. First out of the door is an old classic, ‘Singing in the Rain’. The musical is considered one of the greats, and the poster is certainly an eye-catching one.

It’s an unusual format for this producer. While poster coins have been a NZ Mint thing for a few years now, a five-ounce one is quite the rarity, and liable to remain so given only 100 of these will be offered. Coming up next month is the iconic ‘Cool Hand Luke’, and in May, a massive favourite, ‘Enter the Dragon’.

In the same format as the earlier Darth Vader coin, Luke Skywalker appears in silver again with a collage of images from the character’s movie arc, some coloured, some cleanly struck. One for the die-heard fan, rather than the casual collector, it looks decent enough, but not especially original.

As we’ve already said, movie poster coins have been a big thing at this mint for a good few years now, with Star Wars, Lord of the RIngs, and Harry Potter all getting serial releases. The concept is simple, just reproducing the original poster, one from multiple options, but letting the silver base show through in well-chosen places. This is no doubt the first of three, covering all the movies in the hit trilogy. As always, the presentation will be top-notch.

As well as the movie poster ranges, the mint has relatively recently added a comic book cover range called Comix. With the recent addition of Marvel to their franchise portfolio, it was only a matter of time before some of their classic covers joined the range. This time around, it’s the first appearance of one of Marvel’s most popular and iconic characters, Thor.

The execution here is excellent, with the comic book reproduction extending to the coin edges as well, and the presentation is, again, first class. The next issue drops in May, and is Star Comics #8, the origin of Wonder Woman.

Lots of mints do special coins for holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, and Valentines, and it’s the last category that this coin falls into. Depicting, in the usual saccharin-sweet form, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, are cuddling up, and the whole coin is heart-shaped. Packaging is gift-like, so a good one for the loved one who likes Disney.

A little surprising this one, given it’s been done before, a couple of times, in fact. Still, at 75 mm in diameter, and with a concave strike, it will certainly look the part. It all comes nicely boxed, and has a mintage of 500 pieces, but it does sell for almost $500, so you’d have to be a fan, for sure.

The latest issue in the DC Comics Classic Coin Collection is an old comics favourite, Green Lantern. An interesting superhero, done little justice in the movies to date, but with a TV series potentially in development, it will likely strike a spark with coin collectors who love this burgeoning genre. In a trend we’ve seen increasingly in other classic ranges from the mint, the various formats have fundamentally the same artwork, but tweaked to better suit the coin size.

The base one-ounce silver coin features Green Lantern in a couple of poses, with his iconic emblem off to the left. The three-ounce silver employs what looks to be a little more relief, and the large background field is filled with a montage of smaller images, from nemesis, to a comic cover. By contrast, the gold pair are identical to each other, and depict a close crop of Green Lantern’s head and torso, as well as a repositioned emblem. It’s a good idea, and one it uses when it feels necessary to get a better look. Recommended prices range from $109.00, up to $2900.00.