For me, Denis Villeneuve’s two-film adaptation of the classic Frank Herbert science-fiction novel, Dune, is the finest of its type for many years. Sympathetically crafted, with a top-class group of actors, and breathtaking cinematography, it redefined the genre, adapting a story many said could not be done well. A third film, adapting the second novel, Dune Messiah, will premiere in December, and I for one, can’t wait.

The coin itself, designed by Sean Rogers, depicts the central structure in Arrakeen, the capital of Arrakis, above which hovers the spherical spaceship of Shaddam IV, the Emperor of the known universe, in a scene near the climax of Dune 2. In the foreground, skittering across the sand, is a desert rodent called Muad’Dib, from which Paul Atreides takes his Fremen name. It’s a fine design, although not of the most pivotal of scenes in either the book or the film. The coloured version is sold boxed with a certificate of authenticity, and at a much higher price. Both have the same basic obverse, and are issued for Tuvalu.

As well as the pair of coins, there’s also a terrific one-gram gold bar featuring a neat sandworm design, bearing in mind it’s only 15.6 mm in size. The paper sleeve is also beautifully themed. I have to admit to a soft spot for this one.

The Outback is what we believe is the first in a new series called Wonders of Australia. It’s a fine debut by Jennifer McKenna, a Perth Mint regular, and it’s a scene from the Australian interior, packed with flora and fauna in a relaxed setting (rather than the usual Aussie animal practice of trying to kill each other in ever more horrible ways…). Classic wildlife is present, with Wedge-tailed Eagles, a Dingo, Kangaroos, a Frill-necked Lizard, a crocodile, and Emus in the background.

A nice addition is some customisation on the obverse face, with an attractive ring of flora surrounding the effigy of King Charles III. I wish the Perth Mint did more of this as their obverse faces are generally deadly dull, much like The Royal Mint.

There are three one-ounce versions, all classic bullion coins, one in gold, one in silver, and one in platinum. They all have healthy mintages, so availability shouldn’t be an issue. An interesting release with much potential.

The Australian Swan debuted to much fanfare in 2017, and became an immediate hit. It took the classic Perth Mint nature bullion style, and applied it to something with a much more limited mintage. The 2026 issue is the tenth in the series to date, which will explain the ‘P10’ mintmark on the reverse face of it. You can see all ten as part of our huge guide to Perth Mint bullion.

The design by Aleysha Howarth, features a swan in flight for the first time, but otherwise follows the tried and tested formula established over the last decade. There are one-ounce gold and silver variants, and for the collector, a coloured silver that comes nicely packaged.

Even older than the swan series, the Australian Wedge-tailed Eagle series was the first massive hit in the Perth Mint’s move to expand outwards from its core bullion range (Koala, Kookaburra, Kangaroo, Lunar), with a selection of limited mintage designs. This one was also noteworthy for its employment of former United States Mint Chief Engraver, John Mercanti, to do the design. He has an impressive record, especially with eagles, and there have been some terrific designs since 2014.

The 2026 coin features a double portrait view of these beautiful birds, continuing the series trend of depicting the bird in a variety of ways. Only a silver coin remains in the line-up, with the gold bullion coin having ended in 2022, although there are high-end proof versions available.

The 2026 Australian Emu has yet to put in an appearance, but the series has a tradition of releasing a coloured silver version of the previous years design. Hence, we have a 2026-dated, coloured version of the 2025 Emu coin. Not a true bullion coin as it comes boxed with a certificate of authenticity.

This series is distributed outside Australia by Metal Market EU, and debuted in 2018. We’ve not heard that the series has ended, so we’re still expecting a 2026 bullion version in what has been a really good series.