The Mauser coin seemed to have been well received, so it’s no surprise to see the concept taken further by WCA. The first of them is issued for Cameroon, and is a snub-nosed revolver. It’s styled to look like it has a wooden handle, and is covered in ornate engraving, much like some real examples do. I’m sure one of our American readers will let us know what model it most closely resembles.

The antique-finishing suits it well, and the whole thing looks pretty impressive, in my view. A mintage of just 199 pieces means it’s quite an exclusive coin. We like this one.

Also out are a pair of Dragon Revolvers. These are identical, except for a choice of gilded, or antiqued finish. We much prefer the latter. This is much longer, at almost 90 mm, even though it’s also two-ounces. The standout here is a traditional Chinese dragon that starts with its tail on the grip, wrapping itself around the gun until it reaches the barrel. A striking piece, and a timely one for the Year of the Dragon.

The Winged Tiger is designed in the same style as WCA’s earlier Tiger-shaped Jie coin, and is based on an artifact dating back to the late Eastern Zhou period, around the 4th century BCE, which is currently held by the British Museum. The original, standing 23 cm high, was likely used as a leg for a tray, was made of bronze, gold, and silver, and was black with gold patterns. It’s currently on display at the time of writing.

The coin is silver, with gold highlights, but is otherwise a superb reproduction of the beautiful original. Like the earlier Jie coin, this one is formed from two, one-ounce halves, each with a common obverse, but which can be placed together to form a fully three-dimensional object. Despite the presence of a tank coin, this is easily my pick of the releases here. Numismatics does cultural artifacts exceptionally well when done correctly, and this is a fine example.

This one is touted as being the first in a new series called ‘King of War’ which will no doubt look at all the weapons of destruction we’ve created over several thousand years of inventive thinking. The tank is barely a century old, but its impact on the battlefield has been huge. However, war evolves, and this behemoth is finding it hard in a conflict zone dominated by airpower in its many forms.

The coin doesn’t depict a specific model, although there are elements similar to US tanks like the M48/M60, and the setting does have hints of the Korean War, but I am speculating here. We like the style, especially the way high-relief has been used to exaggerate the sense of perspective. The antiqued and coloured finish looks great. We’re going to assume the obverse is a common one, and it’s one of those with the faux denomination of Guards. It comes in a box with a display window.

Another more unusual release, this range of silver foils mixes the artwork of William-Adolphe Bouguereau as a common obverse, with the reverse face featuring a playing card design, specifically the aces of the four suits. Each of those reverses is differently coloured, but outside the card symbols, they remain the same. The work chosen, The Birth of Venus, is a widely admired piece of art.

The downside for us is that you won’t know which one you will get when you buy, as they’re randomly inserted in the box. We’re really not fans of this approach, and we’re seeing it creep into more producers ranges. The pouch packaging is good, but we’d like to see collectors given the straight opportunity to buy the design they want.

Finally, we have the next in WCA’s jigsaw puzzle range, similar to that pioneered by Powercoin with their Micropuzzle Treasures series, and Numiartis with their SoPuzzle Art. WCA have issued these in the past, and the twist here is the incorporation of an ornate frame into the design, which does seem to work well. This is made possible by using copper for the bulk of the coin. It uses 70 grams of it, which is covered by a skin of silver, weighing just a gram.

The end result is a relatively large coin, but with a much lower price tag attached to it – well under $100/€100 each – which for this style, is very much the cheapest. The 1880 work itself, ‘A Girl Defending Herself Against Cupid’ by French academic painter, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, currently held by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, is considered a classic, and widely admired. It’s an inspired choice for the coin, especially as interest in this artist’s work seems to be on the rise.

Again, like the earlier Hokusai ‘Great Wave of Kanagawa’ issue, we like this one, and it brings a genre many like down to a wholly more affordable price point. It comes boxed with a certificate,