There is little doubt that comic books have captured the imagination of moviegoers around the globe to date in the 21st century. Aside from the popularity of the Dark Knight trilogy launched in 2005, Marvel Cinematic Universe has been the unquestioned leader in this category, and the popularity of its films and characters is crossing boundaries into the world of precious metals. During the past three years a number of silver coin collections have been unveiled depicting superheroes from various Marvel films.
Fans of the original comics and the new feature films alike are flocking not only to the big screen to see the film adaptations of their favorite stories, but numismatists are jumping at the chance to capture their favorite superheroes on silver bullion coins. Not one to be left out of the craze, Perth Mint debuted its own Marvel Series of silver coins for sale starting in summer 2017, and now the first 2018 issue coin is ready to carry the series into next year. From Spiderman Coins to Thor Coins, learn more about this all-new series.
The New 2018 Thor Marvel Series Coin
For the second release in the series, Perth Mint features one of the most popular characters right now in the Marvel Universe; Thor. Known by the full name Thor Odinson, Thor is based upon the mythical Norse god and prince of Asgard. Son of Odin, the Father of Gods in Norse mythology, in the comic realm he is stripped of his powers and banished to Earth by his father. While here, he learns about humanity and helps save Asgard from his jealous adopted brother Loki.
His compassion for mankind and efforts to stop Loki get him back in his father’s good graces, with Odin granting him his powers once again. Thor eventually joins the Avengers and fights alongside them to continue protecting Asgard from its enemies.
The 2018 1 oz Tuvalu Thor Marvel Series Silver Coin features the original depiction of Thor from Marvel Comics on the reverse side. Modern fans of Thor are familiar with Australian actor Chris Hemsworth as the face and physique of the Norse god, but on this coin you’ll find the image of Thor created originally by Jack Kirby when Thor made his first appearance in Journey into Mystery #83, published August 1962.
On the reverse of the coin is the image of Thor in his traditional superhero garb wielding his powerful hammer, known as Mjolnir, in his left hand. In Norse mythology, Thor is the God of Thunder and has the ability to control the weather. A nod to this ability can be seen in the lightning bolt background design of the coin. Engravings on this face of the coin include the Marvel copyright, as well as “Marvel THOR” at the top.
Each coin has a unique combination of smooth and textured finishes to visually differentiate the aspects of the design from one another. The Marvel Series Thor coin is available in BU condition. Coins in this condition feature no signs of wear and tear, but do have potential minor flaws from production. These issues are limited to breaks in the luster, spotted surfaces, and contact marks.
Highlights of the Marvel Series
Perth Mint debuted the Marvel Series of silver coins in mid-2017 with the release of the 2017 1 oz Spiderman Marvel Series Coin. It too was a BU condition specimen with mixtures of smooth and textured finishes to its visual appearance. Common highlights in the series include:
- Coins arrive in individual capsules, rolls of 20 coins, or boxes of 100 or 300 coins.
- Limited mintage of only 50,000 coins per release.
- Face values of 1 Dollar backed by Tuvalu.
- Contains 1 Troy oz of .9999 pure silver in BU condition.
All coins in the Marvel Series have a shared obverse design. This features the familiar right-profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II created in 1998 by Ian Rank-Broadley. This fourth-generation effigy of the Queen is encircled by engravings of “Queen Elizabeth II,” “Tuvalu 1 Dollar,” “1 oz 9999 Ag,” and the year of issue for each individual coin.
Perth Mint has shown a crafty edge in the timing of the release for the coins in the Marvel Series. The 2017 Spiderman coin was released around the same time that Spiderman made a triumphant return to the big screen. Spider-man: Homecoming was released in the US on July 7, 2017 and has grossed $861 million worldwide. That makes it the second most successful Spiderman film and the sixth highest grossing film of 2017 to date.
Perth is using similar timing with the release of its 2018 1 oz Tuvalu Thor Marvel Silver Coin. The latest installment in the Thor franchise, the third film, is entitled Thor: Ragnarok and is due in theaters on November 3, 2017.
Marvel Cinematic Universe Success
The reason many mints have focused on comic-themed coin releases is pretty clear when you look at the success of Marvel Cinematic Universe in particular during the last decade. Marvel Comics superheroes went into production in feature film adaptations starting in 2007. The first film to hit the big screen was Iron Man in 2008 starring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role. Since that time, Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe have produced 16 films (Thor: Ragnarok is the 17th) and have 10 more in various stages of production for future release.
The collective series of films have grossed a total of $12.6 billion at the global box office and earned the title of the highest grossing film franchise of all time. Many of the main actors in the franchise have contracts signed to appear in multiple films, as you’ve no doubt noticed in the case of Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), and Chris Hemsworth (Thor).
Which of these characters you can expect to see next in the Marvel Series from Perth Mint is unknown at this time.
Stay Tuned to JM Bullion
When the next Marvel Series silver coin arrives, or there’s fun news from the precious metals industry to share, you can trust JM Bullion to keep you in the know. Check back with our blog every Wednesday and Friday, or follow us on Facebook to be part of the conversation and find out immediately when our posts go live.
