What we have here is a set of 51 coins, 50 of which are one-ounce of silver, with one a quarter-ounce of gold. The coins are sold in a black box which contains two coins. However, here’s the rub, you don’t know which two you’re getting. Much like the once thriving trading card market, this is a random chance event. It’s an extremely bold concept, but it is going to require you to dig deep, especially if there’s a specific coin you want.

The silver coins are divided into five lots of ten, with mintages varying. The five levels are ‘Limited’ (250 mintage per design), ‘Uncommon’ (150), ‘Scarce’ (50), ‘Rare’ (30), and ‘Ultra-Rare’ (20). The last level, ‘Mythic’ is the gold coin, with just 10 of those mixed in. The image above shows a silver and a gold coin in the box, but don’t forget that no more than 10 of the 2505 available boxes will be like this. So basically, we have a combined 5,010 mintage across all 51 coins.

As we said, an ambitious concept, but one we can’t fathom who the target audience is. At $299 per box, you’d have to be flush with cash to stick it out to get the coins you want. The value isn’t there either, with the NZ Mint selling single one-ounce coins, often with striking designs, for under $100. The cost for the two coins in these sets come with a $100 premium, and for coins you may not want, it’s a hard sell.

The aftermarket, especially the eBay scalpers, will abuse it, but given the trading card market crashed because of the increasing cost and impossibility of getting a set, we don’t expect the concept to spread to other producers. The coins look superb, to be honest, with the commoner coins being the best, in our view, but it’s a shame they’re not more accessible to collectors. Perhaps a smaller format, or even foils, would be the way forward.