The most straightforward reproduction is also the most adventurous realisation. Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic ‘Lady With an Ermine’ is no stranger to coins, for the classic art fan, this could be irresistible. Produced using PMC’s ‘Bi-Metal Max’ technique, which involves a silver skin over a substantial copper core, it reaches an impressive 145 mm in height, and a solid 10 mm+ in thickness.

We like that they’ve eschewed the faux gilded frame for a cleaner look. It suits the coin well. The coin looks beautifully coloured, very true to the original. The obverse is particularly nice, depicting a monochrome close-up of the ermine. Particularly impressive is the restrained nature of the inscriptions which, despite the vast canvas, are not allowed to ruin the design. Top marks.

Claude Monet is the second issue in CIT’s ‘Masters of Art’ collection, following 2022s Vincent van Gogh. This series, while quite classic in design, is an original composition, taking a self-portrait of the artist, in his own style, over a background filled with one of their most famous works. Here, Monet’s self-portrait (based on a work currently in the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris) sits over his iconic water-lilies, a feature of so many of his works.

The obverse, common to the series, cleverly has an artist in his studio, working on a canvas sitting on an easel. He is painting the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, and the issue details. A two-ounce, fully smartminted coin, it comes in a latex-skin display box. A great series for the aficionado.

Now, this one is a more traditional coin, being a three-ounce silver piece, coloured, with a black proof finish. The subject style is anything but traditional, however, taking that most iconic of painting, the Mona Lisa, and reproducing it covered in a graffiti setting. It’s very striking, and sure to be a hit with many, and leave a few aghast. Surely that’s the sign of good art..!!

It’s brightly coloured, bordering on garish, a striking contrast to the black proof finish of Lisa, and the way it breaches the rim to go right to the edge in a few places is a nice touch. The obverse has a view akin to that of walking through a pedestrian underpass, appropriate given how common graffiti is in those, with the effigy of QEII at its end.

Gustav Klimt is also no stranger to coins, no doubt because his work is so visually striking, but Mint XXI’s ‘Golden Artists’ series seems particularly suited to his work. The coins are silver, with some colour highlighting on the reverse face, but the predominant feature here is the extensive gilding. Earlier issues have depicted Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’, and Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’, but Klimt’s work involves the fewest compromises on the original look, and we reckon it’s the best yet as a result.

Judith and the Holofernes is a very iconic work, but a very tall and relatively narrow one, so Mint XXI has taken the decision to use a crop for the coin. It’s the correct decision, in our view, otherwise much of the impact would have been lost through miniaturisation. The essence of the work remains, and the coin continues with the impressive, especially for a two-ounce coin, diameter of 70 mm. A great issue in this series, hopefully we’ll have better images soon.