Royal Mint launches a cool new James Bond 007 range with top versions pricier than a Moneypenny
The coolest secret agent in film history, James Bond – Codename 007 – is a franchise juggernaut. Springing from the mind of actual ex-spy Ian Fleming in 1953, Bond appeared in twelve novels and two short-story collections by his creator, with a further eight authors adding to canon. It’s the movies that have propelled Bond to ultra-iconic status, from the Sean Connery headed ‘Dr No.’ in 1962, to this year’s last Daniel Craig headlined movie, ‘No Time To Die’. Grossing over $7B, there can be hardly anybody that hasn’t seen at least one of them (hint: Craig’s Casino Royale is brilliant).
The Royal Mint has jumped fully into the franchise for its first release. Of most interest to us mere mortals will be what the mint is calling its ‘Core’ range. This comprises three designs by Matt Dent and Christian Davies, which depict some of the more iconic elements of 007’s history. The beautiful Aston Martin DB5, the brilliant underwater Lotus Esprit, and Bond’s trademark tuxedo each adorn their own proof coins. Silver variants come in 1/2oz and 1oz form, with gold in 1/4oz and 1oz. In addition, the mint has an ‘Inspired Innovation’ selection, which comprises a silver 2oz and a gold 2oz proof. These benefit from an enhanced strike, which can be seen in the ‘007’ element of the design. The textured finish is replaced with a micro-engraved repeating list of the Bond film titles.
Headlining the release is the mints ‘Special Issue’ range, which, with one exception, can best be described as ‘not for those with a mortgage’. This is our favourite design of the four and depicts that gorgeous Aston Martin DB5 face-on, with the Bond movie logo pattern behind and underneath it. Clean and elegant, Laura Clancy has done a brilliant job with the flagship issue. There is a 5oz silver version, which is easily our favourite of the affordables, but from there on it gets increasingly ridiculous. A 5oz gold coin selling for just shy of ten grand is the budget option, followed by a £60k one-kilo gold, a £130k two-kilo gold, and a SEVEN-kilo gold selling for a price unrevealed, likely for fear of causing collectors to have heart attacks… This is the largest coin the Royal Mint has ever released in its eleven century existence. Having a mintage of one, don’t expect change from half a million quid.
Also coming later in March are a trio of James Bond themed bars from Royal Mint Bullion. A ten ounce silver (0.9999 in this case), one ounce silver, and one ounce gold (individually numbered) make up the range. We’ve yet to receive pictures, but the bars will carry the title of all the official Bond movies, including the yet to be released 2020 addition. This seems a neat addition, as long as premiums aren’t inflated excessively as a result.
All told, we’re huge fans of this new range, and we expect it to be a huge success. It manages to capture the essence of 007 while also having considerably more artistic merit than the Perth Mints recent underwhelming issue. Hopefully, this will lead to further additions in the coming years. All the coins are available to buy from today, and we’re expecting huge amounts of activity on the Royal Mint website. A great release.
MINTS DESCRIPTION
The Royal Mint has announced the launch of its James Bond commemorative coin and gold bar collection ahead of the release of the 25th James Bond film, No Time To Die. The collection includes a number of Royal Mint firsts – a 7 kilo gold coin, which is the largest coin with the highest face value to be produced in the Mint’s 1,100-year history and the world’s first James Bond bar in gold and silver, featuring all of the 25 official James Bond film titles.
Just one 7 kilo gold coin will be created and it has been designed by Royal Mint designer Laura Clancy, as part of the James Bond Special Issue range, which also includes 2 kilo gold, 1 kilo gold and 5oz gold and silver coins. Laura has placed the Aston Martin DB5 centre stage, with its famous BMT 216A number plate and gun barrel surround.
A combination of traditional engraving methods and modern techniques are applied when producing the 7 kilo gold coin. CNC engraving machines are used to carefully cut the design onto the coin and finally, the coin is then hand polished to ensure the finish is elevated to the highest possible standard, and finally areas of the design are frosted (given a matt finish) using laser cutters.
In addition to the James Bond commemorative coin collection, The Royal Mint is also launching the world’s first James Bond precious metal bar available in gold and silver. The bar will contain every official James Bond film title on the background including No Time To Die. The precious metal bar will be available to purchase from mid-March.
Laura Clancy said of her design, “I am a huge James Bond fan. I love the excitement of the stories, the twists and turns, the style, the exotic places and knowing that Bond will win the day. When the opportunity to design a Bond coin came along, I had to take on the challenge. I’ve found it an incredible privilege – my career high to date and my most successful project.”
As well as the larger coins, the Bond collection also features three additional coin designs which when placed together reveal the famous 007 motif. The first coin from the series has the profile of the classic Bond Car, the Aston Martin DB5. The two remaining coins feature the famous submarine car that appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me and James Bond’s iconic jacket and bow tie.
Designers Christian Davies and Matt Dent said, “As Bond fans ourselves, we’ve enjoyed re-watching some of our favourite films. The design series focuses on iconic imagery from the Bond films. Finding the balance between design detail and what can be accomplished in production was a challenge, nowhere more so than the intricate spokes of the DB5’s wheel.”
Clare Maclennan, Divisional Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint said, “We are thrilled to be unveiling our James Bond commemorative coin collection launching in line with No Time To Die.
The three coins are available in several editions, from a Brilliant Uncirculated version to precious metal coins in silver and gold proof. Furthermore, the Inspired Innovation editions include micro-text of the twenty-five film titles which require a magnifying glass to read.
The Royal Mint Experience, based in South Wales, is launching a new exhibition called ‘Currency Undercover’ which tells the story of how gold, sovereigns and currency from around the globe have been used in undercover operations throughout history. The exhibition also features rarely seen objects including a briefcase to transport Sovereigns in the 1963 James Bond film ‘From Russia With Love’.
CORE RANGE | INSPIRED INNOVATION | |||||
DENOMINATION | £1 UKP | £2 UKP | £25 UKP | £100 UKP | £5 UKP | £200 UKP |
COMPOSITION | 0.999 silver | 0.999 silver | 0.9999 gold | 0.9999 gold | 0.999 silver | 0.9999 gold |
WEIGHT | 15.71 grams | 31.21 grams | 7.80 grams | 31.21 grams | 62.42 grams | 62.42 grams |
DIMENSIONS | 27.0 mm | 38.61 mm | 22.0 mm | 32.69 mm | 40.0 mm | 40.0 mm |
FINISH | Proof | Proof | ||||
MAX MINTAGE | 15,017 | 8,517 | 1,067 | 360 | 2,017 | 260 |
R.R.P. | £65.00 | £87.50 | £517.00 | £2,070.00 | £235.00 | £3,985.00 |
SPECIAL ISSUE RANGE | ||||||
DENOMINATION | £10 UKP | £500 UKP | £1000 UKP | £2000 UKP | £7000 UKP | |
COMPOSITION | 0.999 silver | 0.9999 gold | 0.9999 gold | 0.9999 gold | 0.9999 gold | |
WEIGHT | 156.295 grams | 156.295 grams | 1005.00 grams | 2010.00 grams | 7035.00 grams | |
DIMENSIONS | 65.0 mm | 50.0 mm | 100.0 mm | 150.0 mm | 180.0 mm | |
FINISH | Proof | |||||
MAX MINTAGE | 700 | 64 | 20 | 10 | 1 | |
R.R.P. | £485.00 | £9,985.00 | £59,750.00 | £129,990.00 | The blood of 1000 peasants |
BULLION BAR RANGE |
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FINISH | Bullion | Bullion | Bullion |
COMPOSITION | 0.9999 silver | 0.9999 silver | 0.9999 gold |
WEIGHT | 311 grams | 31.1 grams | 31.1 grams |
DIMENSIONS | 90.02 x 51.92 mm | 49.96 x 28.98 mm | 49.96 x 28.98 mm |
THICKNESS | 6.44 mm | 2.20 mm | 1.67 mm |
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