There are a great many silver coin designs available to the modern investor or collector. Some offerings, such as the American Silver Eagle and Canadian Silver Maple Leaf offer the continuity of design and government-backed silver content that attracts the modern investor. Other programs, such as the Chinese Silver Panda and the British Queen’s Beast programs offer something to both the investor and indivdual collector because of their rotating designs with each new release.
Most sovereign government mints avoid changing design concepts for sovereign bullion coinage, but when it comes to smaller national coin programs struck through cooperation with private mints, the rules do not always apply. Take the Biblical Silver Coins from the Scottsdale Mint. Struck for the nation of Niue, these brilliant silver coins include six new design releases with each year of issue dating back to 2015. Explore these beautiful, ultra-high relief strikings below!
About the Biblical Silver Coins
The Scottsdale Mint’s Biblical Silver Coin series debuted in 2015 with six designs in total. Each of the coins, from the earliest releases to the more recent 2017 designs share a number of common features across each release. All silver coins in the series start out as thick 2 oz silver blanks that are struck under immense pressure to create an ultra-high relief striking on the finished product.
Individual coins in the series are shipped to you inside of Bible-themed commemorative boxes that are ideal for display in your personal collection. Each coin comes with laser-engraved edge lettering that features its individual serial number. These serial numbers run from 1 to 1,499 in each design release, with the Certificate of Authenticity for each coin matching the serial number laser-engraved on the product itself.
On the obverse side of all coins in the Biblical Silver Coins collection you’ll find a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. However, unlike most silver proof coinage in production for commonwealth nations around the globe today, you won’t find either Jody Clark’s fifth-generation effigy of the Queen from 2015 or Ian Rank-Broadley’s 1998 fourth-generation design.
Instead, the obverse of all Biblical Silver Coins features the 1984 design of Queen Elizabeth II from Raphael Maklouf. Born in Jerusalem to a father born in Palestine and a mother from Germany, Maklouf and his family emigrated to the United Kingdom following World War II. His right-profile portrait of Her Majesty is the third-generation depiction of the Queen and appeared originally on commonwealth and British coinage from 1984 to 1997.
2015 Coins
The Biblical Silver Coin series debuted in 2015 with a total of six different designs. This initial release year set the tone for the entire program, as subsequent years also feature six new designs. Each design release in the program is reflective of one of the many stories from the Christian and Jewish Bibles.
Up first in the 2015 coin series release were some of the most well-known and iconic stories from the Bible. These designs included depictions of, in order:
– Exodus
– The Crucifixion
– David and Goliath
– The 10 Commandments
– The Pale Horse
– The New Jerusalem
2016 Coins
Following the immense success of the 2015 release, there were six new designs cued up for 2016. These coin releases continued the biblical theme, with a new focus set for the year that again captured some of the most critical and important tales of the Bible. Included in the 2016 issue series were, again in order:
2017 Coins to Date
The most recent year of issue for the Biblical Silver Coins from Scottsdale Mint are the 2017 coins. These coins again offer collectors the chance at numerous different designs, and although the release is not complete, there are four new designs for collectors to choose from when searching for silver coins for sale from the Scottsdale Mint. Again in order of release, the following designs are from the Scottsdale Mint:
Background on the Designs
All of the designs in the Biblical Silver Coins series from the Scottsdale Mint, stretching from the first issues of 2015 to the most recent 2017 silver coins in the collection come from one man. Gustave Dore was a French artist, printmaker, illustrator, and sculptor who worked largely with wood carvings. He lived from 1832 to 1883 and hit upon one of his greatest successes in 1866.
That year he completed and eventually released a collection of works known as his “illustrations of the Bible.” These depictions were later displayed in London 1867, completing one of his greatest collections of work and leading to the founding of the Dore Gallery in Bond Street, London.
About Scottsdale Mint
The Scottsdale Mint is viewed increasingly as one of America’s finest private minting facilities. Responsible for the production of its own Scottsdale-branded silver rounds and bars, Scottsdale Mint also has a growing portfolio of sovereign bullion coins backed by foreign reserve banks for nations including Fiji, Democratic Republic of Congo, and these Biblical Silver Coins for Niue.
Scottsdale Mint has been recognized for its environmentally friendly production processes, sourcing much of its silver for bar, coin, and round production from recycling programs that collect gold and silver from sources such as photography and e-waste from electronics like smartphones and tablets.
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