Anonymous Mint

Anonymous Mint Bullion

The number of mints producing in-demand silver coins and rounds is steadily growing, with Anonymous Mint joining the ranks of private minting facilities in the United States producing investment-grade bullion and proof collectible silver products. Although the mint maintains a relatively modest, low profile, that doesn’t mean its products aren’t remarkably designed and popular with numismatists.

Currently, JM Bullion carries two silver products from a popular design lineup at Anonymous Mint. The Kraken proof silver round and antique proof silver round feature a design depicting one of the most infamous beasts of antiquity, and were designed in-house at Anonymous Mint with the assistance of Julie Lindquist. Learn more about the mint and its popular Kraken silver rounds below.

About the Anonymous Mint

Anonymous Mint is a small coin creation company that specializes in silver and copper coinage. All of its products are struck with extremely limited mintage figures and the designs are considered limited editions; once they’re gone, they’re gone. When it comes to the physical production of the coins, Anonymous Mint works with larger private minting facilities in the United States to strike and distribute its products. In the case of the Kraken Rounds, the North American Mint was its production partner, but Anonymous has also recently worked with Osborne Precious Metals on a Norse Gods Series.

Why the Kraken?

There’s been an increasing focus in recent months on designs from antiquity, from Norse gods to mythical creatures such as the Kraken. The first recorded sightings of a kraken came from Viking sailors traversing the North Atlantic between Norway and Greenland in the 13^th century. In a phenomenon known as Hafgufa, which translates to sea-mist, the mystical beast was believed to live in the deepest reaches of the North Atlantic, emerging to attack passing ships with no warning.

Viking sailors recorded encounters with the Kraken on numerous occasions, noting that the beast was said to be more than one mile around, with eyes larger than human heads and countless arms that could engulf a ship in no time. By 1735, the existence of the Kraken was an assumed fact, with the creature actually classified as a living organism in the First Edition of Systema Naturae by Swede Carolus Linnaeus.

Facts on the 1 oz Kraken Silver Rounds

Julie Lindquist is the gifted coin creator behind the Kraken design on the Anonymous Mint Kraken round. The design was created in America by Lindquist, and overall design concepts were the work of the Anonymous Mint. Each silver round features 1 Troy oz of .999 pure silver, with unique edge lettering.

All 1 oz Kraken Silver Rounds ship in display boxes with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. The number on the CoA matches the minted number on the edge of the rounds. The 1 oz Kraken Silver Round is an investment-grade silver bullion product, and the 1 oz Kraken Antique Silver Round is an excellent proof product with a distinctive finish.

The Kraken Design

Lindquist’s Kraken design is used on the obverse of both versions of the Kraken Silver Round, regardless of the finish type. On the obverse of the 1 oz. Kraken Silver Round you’ll find the image of the beast as it attacks a Viking longboat, while the helpless sailors do their best to fight off the creature. The design for this series came from Julie Lindquist, with each round featuring edge lettering that denotes its position in the striking order.

Meanwhile, the reverse of each round has the logo of the Anonymous Mint. It depicts an owl in the traditional American bald eagle pose, with wings spread wide and the arrows of war clutched in its talons. The Anonymous Mint logo is a clever and playful twist on the heraldic eagle design used on various US Mint coins over the past two-plus centuries.

The Anonymous Mint selected the owl as its logo because it represents wisdom, intelligence, mystery, transition, secrets, and protection. In human history, the owl has been considered an announcer of death that was representative of the guardianship of the underworld and protector of the dead. In fact, during the medieval period the owl was believed to represent that animal form of a priestess or wizard in disguise. The owl is viewed in the modern era as the ruler of the night and keeper of spirits.

Details on the specific release of the Kraken Silver Round include the following information:

• 1 oz Kraken Silver Proof Round:
  • Proof-like mintage limited to just 3,000 rounds in total!
  • Ships in a box with a Certificate of Authenticity!
  • Contains 1 oz of .999 pure silver.
  • Features striking number on the outer rim of the round.
  • Bears the image of the Kraken on the obverse.
  • The Anonymous Mint owl on the reverse.
  • Part of the Pirate Series of silver rounds from Anonymous Mint.
  • Designed by Julie Lindquist.
• 1 oz Kraken Antique Silver Proof Round:
  • Extremely low mintage of just 2,000 rounds in total!
  • 2^nd version of the popular Kraken round!
  • Features a beautiful, antique finish.
  • Includes numbered edging and Certificate of Authenticity.
  • Arrives in protective plastic capsule inside a display box.
  • Contains 1 Troy oz of .999 pure silver.
  • Obverse features the image of the Kraken.
  • Reverse bears the design logo for the Anonymous Mint.

The Norse Gods Round Series

There’s no shortage of mints pursuing the design of rounds and coins inspired by the gods of Norse mythology. While Roman and Greek gods are familiar with most people around the globe, Norse gods have largely flown under the radar. Recent exposure courtesy of the Thor-themed feature films has increased awareness of and interest in Norse mythology.

Anonymous Mint is in the process of producing an exciting new 5-design silver round series for fans of Norse mythology. The program will feature 10 rounds in total, broken into sets of 5 different 1 oz rounds and 5 matching 5 oz rounds. The designs will be the same on matching 1 oz and 5 oz products, with each featuring an antique finish.

When an antique finish is added to products, the process starts before coining when the silver blanks are treated with chemicals that give the finished product the appearance of age and circulation. The unique patina on any antique silver round or coin gives it a sense of warmth, while adding subtle enhancements to the overall appearance of the design set.

The Anonymous Mint Norse Gods Round Series features the following designs:

• Odin (1^st): Odin is known as the All-Father in Norse mythology. The ruler of Asgard, the Land of the Gods, he was the eldest god and considered the father of the gods. He had an unending quest for wisdom, even sacrificing his own right eye at Mimir’s Well of Wisdom in his quest. Like many Roman and Greek gods, Odin was known to visit the human world, Midgard, wandering around in a wide-brimmed hat with a cloak and staff.
• Thor (2^nd): Odin is the only god more important than Thor, known as the God of Thunder. Thor is actually Odin’s son with the beautiful Fjorgyn. He is often depicted as a large and powerful man with a red beard and fierce eyes whose role is to protect both gods and humans from the forces of evil.
• Hel (3^rd): The Goddess of Death, Hel was the daughter of Loki and Angerboda. She was known to be the guardian of the underworld, and her name actually serves as the root word for the English-language translation of the underworld in Christianity; hell. On occasion, Hel would leave the door to the underworld open to allow the dead to roam the world and create havoc among the living.
• Freya (4^th): From the Goddess of Death to the Goddess of Love, Freya presided over love, beauty, sexuality, fertility, war, and death in Norse mythology. She is the daughter of Njord and twin sister of Frey. Half of those who die in battle are received into the hall of Freya as she is the leader of the Valkyries.
• Loki (5^th): The as-yet unreleased Loki design honors the deceptive god Loki, son of Odin and brother to Thor. Loki’s presence in Norse mythology often creates tension between the gods and serves as a constant sore spot in relations between the gods and humanity.

Each of the designs in the Norse Gods Series comes from David Johnson, with Julie Lindquist again lending her creative talents to the project with Anonymous Mint. The 1 oz Silver Rounds feature an antique finish and contain 1 Troy oz of .999 pure silver. The mintage level was set at 2,000 per design, with edge lettering again used and Certificates of Authenticity issued with each round.

The 5 oz Silver Rounds feature an antique finish, and also feature a maximum mintage of just 2,000 per design. These rounds also feature edge lettering and ship in display boxes for the protection of the product.

Why Consider Silver Rounds and Private Mint Silver Bullion?

There are a number of reasons to consider investing in silver rounds instead of gold or silver bullion coins. Specifically, there are three reasons you should consider investing your hard-earned cash in silver rounds instead of bullion coins:

• Availability
• Ease of Trade
• Price

Availability is always a limiting factor with most of the popular silver bullion coins in the world. While the American Silver Eagle is a notable exception, which the United States Mint striking those coins to meet demand, the vast majority of other programs have strict caps on the mintage in any given year. Aside from the American Silver Eagle, 1 oz. Silver Rounds are the easiest silver products to find on the market.

Silver rounds are also easier to trade in many cases. Because so many individuals are turning to rounds, the availability is also met at times with shortages. This means that many dealers, though not all, will readily by them back from you with no/low transaction fees because they can turn them around quickly and sell them to someone else.

Beyond availability and ease of trade, the biggest benefit of purchasing silver rounds is the price. While bullion coins from sovereign mints come with higher premiums, the price you pay a coin dealer over the spot price of silver, silver rounds are currently the least expensive form of physical silver to invest in.

Purchasing Anonymous Mint Products from JM Bullion

When you purchase an Anonymous Mint silver round from JM Bullion, you have multiple options for payment. JM Bullion accepts major credit/debit cards (except American Express), paper checks, PayPal transfers, and bank wire transfers. PayPal and bank wire transfer process immediately, while credit/debit cards process in one business day on average. Paper checks take as many as six business days to process.

JM Bullion proudly offers free standard shipping and insurance on all purchases over $199. If you’d like to upgrade to expedited shipping, it is available for an extra charge. All products are packaged and shipped in discreet boxes, and in the event your shipment is lost or damaged we’re here to help. We’ll work to secure a replacement product for you, or provide a full refund of your purchase price.

If you have any questions for a JM Bullion associate regarding Anonymous Mint silver rounds, please feel free to reach out to us. We’re available at 800-276-6508, online using our live web chat feature, and via email.