One of my favourite series from T & S Coin is The Warriors Path. It showcases various warrior groups from Japan’s past, and the first two coins, Bushido and Hatamoto, were both striking in appearance. The latest is Sohei, which literally means ‘monk soldiers’, and they were Buddhist warrior monks that came to prominence in the 10th century, remaining a part of Japanese society until the late 16th century when the ‘Great Unifier’, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, made them untenable.

They protected land, and settled disputes, but often caused much trouble when their school of Buddhism came into conflict with a rival school. Sohei were not solitary figures, like some Samurai, but operated in an order consisting of dozens, or over a hundred smaller monasteries, training halls, and temples. Conflicts became larger in scale as time passed, culminating in the destruction of temples and villages in the 12th century. They were trained in many weapons, although have become particularly associated with the naginata, a curved blade on a pole, a version of which can be seen on the coin.

As with the first pair of releases in this series, the standout visual element is a brightly coloured background sun, in front of which is a scene of the warrior sect in question. This one depicts a Sohei, training with his naginata. The background vista is of a pagoda-style temple, with his immediate surroundings being a natural scene incorporating, like those first issues, a clever framing using trees. It’s a terrific coin, and while the Bushido coin remains my personal favourite, this is a fine addition.

The third in the producers ‘Eternal Sisters’ series is this pretty ‘Elves’ coin showing a touching woodland scene. The series features female groups in mythology, and has already covered Nymphs, and Amazons, two wildly different groups. Elves are closer to Nymphs in legend, having a close relationship with the natural world, but with a more fantasy-orientated appearance, which goes some way to explaining their ubiquity in games and literature, for example.

The three figures and various animals build an image packed with detail, highlighting their role as guardians of the habitat. There are lots of great little touches throughout, and the use of colour is restrained, but effective, with the gilded parts also well-chosen. The gilded flower in the centre also has an added element, a certified 3mm diamond. Wile we’re not usually fans of embedded gems and crystals, it works very well here, and does admirable service as a focal point on the coins reverse. A fine high-relief coin.

Our last look is at a coin that has already sold out at the mint, so you’ll have to head (no pun intended…) to your dealer of choice if you want one. The Headless Horseman has been a mythical figure in various European countries since the Middle Ages, especially in Germany and the British Isles. Tales of a rider either carrying his head, or missing one entirely, appear in many forms, ultimately inspiring a story by Washington Irving called ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’, which went on to popularity through films and TV.

The coin depicts the rider carrying his own skeletal head, and mounted on a demonic black horse. One of the tales relates to Sir Gawain in the Arthurian legend, and with the gilded armour and the background scene, it may well be where the inspiration for the coin design originated. It’s a nice, dynamic pose, capturing the terror of this mystical prophet of doom.