Silver Rocks, Birds and Tyrants
Silver Rocks, Birds and Tyrants by Rory, The Daily Coin
It's no secret I love the art of coins. I recently began collecting the "mini-mintages" Chris Duane and Silver Shield have been producing. I wish I had continued collecting these truly amazing coins.
It was the first round of Silver Shield medallions that really changed my mind about coin collecting, the art of coins and bars along with the delicate nature of the sculpture that makes up the coins impression. The art work that makes up the impression on coins can be breathtaking. The artists hand is full view on pieces such as the yet-to-be-released American the Beautiful, Pictured Rocks. Personally, I have been saving for this coin ever since I first saw the image below. My goal is to add between 3-5 of these coins to my collection as soon as they hit the market. In my opinion this coin is equally as beautiful as the Hawaii Volcano coin released in 2012 .
These are "modern classics" that are accessible to most any coin collector or anyone that wishes to add a little silver to their wealth protection. The premiums on the Hawaii Volcanoes has stabilized around $150 per coin but my guess is, this premium will rise again as time goes by. The Pictured Rocks coin will probably enjoy a higher than usual premium as well. My hope at this point is for the silver market to remain soft and the Pictured Rocks coin flies under the radar and has an extremely low mintage. If that is the case then I feel confident the premiums on this coin will rise significantly over the years to come.
The 2018 Perth Mint Luna Series II Year of the Dog is another stunning coin. These coins have already sold out at the mint and the premiums are beginning to rise. The design is classic Perth Mint, meaning it is a very high quality, deeply impressed coin providing all the detail we come to expect from Perth Mint. I have already added several denominations to my collection with the goal of adding a couple more during the year - the premiums will determine wether I will be able to acquire more or not.
The 2018 Kookaburra is one of the best yet. The detail, especially with the moon in the background is absolutely top shelf.
These are some of my favorite coins to collect and what a great time of year to get them. With silver's cost being suppressed this becomes a no-brainer for us to add as many as possible to our stack. The Kook in full flight makes this coin quiet unique in comparison to the past couple of years where the bird has been stationary.
About a month ago we published an article covering the The Tyrant Collection. This group of gold and silver coins is one of the most interesting collections to be found anywhere. The fact that these coins were "everyday" use coins makes them all the more special. These coins have the images of some of the most ruthless, power-crazed maniacs the world has ever known. One person has been able to gather all the coins possible, from around the world, of these psychopaths. The coins are stunning and the tyrants are dead, so it's a win-win for art and liberty lovers.
“For a number of years, The Tyrant collector has been assembling what is undoubtedly the world’s most valuable coin collection in private hands, worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Ira Goldberg, President of Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, Inc.in Los Angeles, California, who provided guidance in assembling The Tyrant Collection. “I’m sure collectors will be surprised and delighted as more information is revealed about upcoming displays of this remarkable collection.”
“The focus of the collection is tyrants of every age and culture,” explained the anonymous owner of The Tyrant Collection. “Tyrants go by many titles: Kings and Queens, Emperors and Empresses, Czars and Czarinas, Dictators, Regents, Popes, Caliphs, Sultans, and Khans. But what defines them is their absolute power over a territory containing millions of people. Tyrants have been the primary shapers of history for thousands of years. One of the first things tyrants do upon obtaining power is strike coins with their name and likeness, announcing their claim to their territory. And they continue to mint coins to maintain their claim until the day they die or are deposed. Everyday coinage is the primary means by which tyrants notify their subjects and rivals of their tyranny,” the collector said.
“Coins still exist for nearly every tyrant of the last two thousand years who ever ruled a substantial country for more than a few weeks. The objective of The Tyrant Collection is to obtain a coin of every tyrant who ruled every major territory or country, preferably a large gold coin boldly displaying the tyrant’s name, likeness and titles,” he added. Source
These coins are probably priced out of our budget but we can still enjoy the artwork and the knowledge these criminals can no longer harm anyone.
Above is a small sample of this collection that will be on display over the course of multiple years. I realize some of you are probably thinking "so, what, it's some dude's head". Well, you would be correct, however, what you may be overlooking is the fact that each coin had it's own die, which in turn means each coin had to be sculpted to create the coin.
The first exhibit from The Tyrant Collection will be held at the February 22 – 24, 2018 Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp and Sports Collectible Expo. If you get a chance and find yourself in Long Beach, California, it may be worth stopping by to see these coins. They are rarely seen in public and rare art is always worth a little time. If not, you should consider some of the other coins we have discussed. Coin collecting is one of the worlds oldest and most prolific hobbies and with silver and gold being on the lower end of the chart it may be a good time to add to your stack or start a new one.