The Germania Mint is a private mint with a growing reputation for the production of high-quality, beautifully-crafted silver rounds. The mint launched a number of new collections for investors and collectors in 2019, including its Germania Series and The Allegories Series. Now, 2020 brings an all-new series of .9999 pure Germania Silver Rounds from the private mint in the form of the new Germania Beasts Series. The collection will focus its designs on the mythical beasts popular in the folklore of Germanic peoples, as well as the broader cultures of Northern and Western Europe. First up in this all-new series is the Germania Beasts Fafnir Silver Round.
The Germania Beasts Fafnir Design
With the debut of the Germania Beasts Series, the Germania Mint introduces a beautiful design concept for the creatures that it will showcase in this collection. The first design is that of Fafnir, a mythical dragon first spoken of in the sagas of Icelandic peoples around the 13th century. The serpent-like body of Fafnir is depicted in two different visuals on the obverse and reverse of the 2020 1 oz Germania Beasts Fafnir Silver Round. On the obverse field of the silver round, you can see the upper body of Fafnir as it drops into the design field from the top-center rocker of the round. His scaly body descends through the field hugging the left side of the design element as his front legs rest along the bottom rocker of the design. His head is lifted up with his mouth open to expose his sharp teeth and forked tongue. His name is inscribed on this face of the round, along with the weight, metal content, and purity of the specimen.
The reverse field of the Germania Beasts Fafnir Silver Round depicts the other half of Fafnir’s body. Once again, his body loops down into the design element with his lower torso narrowing down to the point of his tail. His lower body swirls around several times with the very center encircling the Germania Mint logo. The Germania logo is a twist on one of the most important heraldic figures from the Medieval Era in Central Europe. The Germania logo features a double-headed eagle with talons clutching arrows. The double-headed eagle symbolism points to a culture’s view on its past and focuses on its future. The nominal value of the silver round in Mark is indicated on this face of the round, as well as the mint and date.
Germania Beasts Fafnir Options
The description of the Fafnir Silver Round design above is based on the 2020 1 oz Germania Beasts Fafnir Silver Round. While a 1 oz Brilliant Uncirculated silver round is common in many Germania Mint collections, the new Germania Beasts Fafnir release introduces collectors to two additional options that go beyond larger weights to deliver truly distinctive design visuals. Among the additional options are a 2-round set and a 2 oz ultra-high-relief round.
First up, let’s look at the 2020 2 x 1 oz Germania Beasts Fafnir Silver Round Set. This two-round set includes two individual 1 oz silver rounds. The designs on both sides of the rounds in this set are the exact same as the traditional 1 oz BU silver round. However, the visuals are distinctly different. The obverse and reverse have different finishes on each round. For example, one round has a gold-plated layer on the body of Fafnir on its obverse with a ruthenium-plated background field. That same round has a ruthenium-plated Fafnir on the reverse and gold background. The other round in the set has these same finishes but flip-flops the sides so the ruthenium body and gold background are on the obverse, with the gold body and ruthenium background on the reverse. The result of these combinations allows you to take out the rounds and set them end-to-end with the opposing round to complete the figure-eight design of Fafnir’s body from one field to the next while aligning the gold-body, ruthenium-background combinations from the different round.
As impressive as the 2 x 1 oz Germania Beasts Fafnir release is, the 2020 2 oz Germania Beasts Fafnir Ultra-High-Relief Silver Round is just as beautiful. Once again, the design elements are all the same for this release. However, unique finishes help create a distinctive visual for this round. The background field on both sides has a ruthenium plating and the Germania Mint applied a unique “chameleon” effect to the body of Fafnir. This “chameleon” application adds shimmer to the scales of his body and changes the colors of his scales as you adjust your viewing angle on the round. Additionally, this silver round was struck in ultra-high relief. This means the design field has visual depth with added 3D relief on the Fafnir design.
Germania Beasts Release Details
Each of the Germania Beasts Fafnir Silver Rounds has unique details with its release, from different packaging options to different mintage figures. The 1 oz Fafnir Silver Round has a nominal value of 5 Mark and contains 1 Troy oz of .9999 pure silver. The 1 oz rounds are available in protective acrylic capsules with a flip-book Certificate of Authenticity offering details on the release. The mintage for this silver round is capped at 25,000.
The 2 x 1 oz Germania Beasts Fafnir Set has a limited mintage of only 500 sets with two individual 1 oz silver rounds, each boasting .9999 pure silver content. The rounds are presented inside of a blistercard with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. For the first time in its history, the Germania Mint presents a silver round set inside of a colorized presentation box with this particular set.
Finally, the 2 oz Germania Beasts Fafnir Ultra High Relief Silver Round contains 2 Troy oz of .9999 pure silver and a nominal value of 10 Mark. This round has a limited mintage of only 999 silver rounds, with each one individually packaged inside of its own acrylic glass display. The displays come with a wooden stand to prop the display upright and all items ship together in a unique eco-carton from the Germania Mint.
About Fafnir
The first mentions of Fafnir in human history come from Icelandic sagas of the 13th century. He is a dwarf figure who is said to have a powerful arm and a fearless soul. Fafnir is eventually turned into a dragon through the course of another whose cursed golden ring results in the dwarf becoming a dragon. Fafnir is then tasked with guarding his father’s house that is made of gold.
Collect the 1st Release of the Germania Beasts at JM Bullion
The latest silver rounds from the Germania Mint are now available online from JM Bullion and you will find all three versions of the Germania Beasts Fafnir release available while supplies last. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact JM Bullion customer service. You can call us on the phone at 800-276-6508, chat with us live online, or simply send us an email with your inquiries. We also encourage you to follow us on Facebook for weekly updates and fun spot-price contests and don’t forget to read our weekly blog posts.