The Twelve Olympians in the Zodiac - Hermes & Cancer. Samoa 0.20 $ 2021 Gold plated Copper/Nickel coin

Face value: 5 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 62,2 g
Quality: Antiqefinish
Diameter: 45 mm
Mintage: 999

The second release in an interesting, thought provoking new series, this coin depicts the Greek Goddess, Aphrodite.

A twelve issue set, the Twelve Olympians of the Zodiac considers which of the traditional star signs coincide with the Gods of Olympus of Ancient Greece. For Aphrodite it is easy, for she is also known as the Roman goddess Venus, and Venus is the planetary ruler of Taurus!

According to some astrologists, those born under the sign of Taurus love pleasure! They know how to enjoy life, and are sure to make the most of every moment - just like the Goddess Aphrodite!

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

As the King of the gods, Zeus‘ connection with Leo is appropriate as it is the "king of the Zodiac signs". The connection gains a lot more weight in mythology: Zeus is closely associated with Helios, perhaps even more so than Apollo, as Helios is referred as "the eye of Zeus" and is referred as Zeus in his own Orphic hymn. Aether (the primordial light that illumines the Heavens) is "Zeus' power", and his role as the god of civilization, justice and law is very similar to that of sun gods like Shamash and Ra (Apollo also shares these traits, as he too is a god of justice and law). Zeus is outright referred as the Sun in some particular Greco-roman religious traditions like Pythagorean philosophy, where he is the supramundane Sun of the Olympians.As the Sun symbolizes the center, so is Leo's position in the Zodiac indicative.

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Scorpio is the second Mars sign, and the one that most relates to Ares: while the fiery aspects of Aries might relate to him to some extent, it’s the more emotional Scorpio that resonates closer to him and his primal nature. As the later Autumn sign, Scorpio is related to Winter’s start, and thus to sunset-like conditions: as the Sun dims, so does life. Scorpio is defined by it’s loyalty bordering on possessiveness, as well as a rather strong impulsive nature but consciously made subtle or even outright hidden. Ares displays a surprising amount of loyalty to his family, even when most of Olympus doesn’t like him very much, and while numerous, his affairs are occult, unlike Zeus’ or Apollo’s. This reflects water as darkness: driven by strong impulses, but with the element of mystery and hidden nature. Due to Scorpio’s vindictiveness and hidden nature, it is often considered the most malign of the signs, just as Ares is the most distrusted of the Olympians, but neither are “evil” and while unpleasant they are necessary for the inner workings of nature. Darkness is after all important to health in it’s Melatonin friendliness, especially when it’s connected to water.

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Hephaestus‘ correspondence with Libra is derived from his role as the smith god. By crafting fire, he made the weapons that the gods use to impose justice, down to the scales of Dike, the goddess of justice, often thought to be the woman depicted in the sign. As just, Hephaestus is a god of innovation, taming the chaos of the flames to produce items to impose civilization.

Quality: Uncirculated
Face Value: 5 Euro
Diameter: 28,5 mm
Material: Copper
Total Weight: 8,9 g
Mintage: 200 000

A coin the likes of which Austria has never seen before, Democracy is made from copper from the former roof of the Parliament building in Vienna. When you purchase the coin you therefore acquire a little piece of democracy and by spending 5 euros you get something priceless in return.

On the occasion of the reopening of the Parliament building in Vienna, we are issuing this very special coin. The copper it contains originally formed part of the former roof of the building but was removed during the ongoing renovation of the building. By using it to make the copper edition of the Democracy coin, we are making our democratic tradition something tangible. A strong democracy thrives on discourse. Our opinions may differ, but our consensus is democracy. Likewise, fundamental rights and freedoms make a democracy what it is. They enable individual and social freedom and guarantee the co-determination of the individual.

The coin’s reverse features two heads in profile and one full face, which represent the people as sovereign. To the left, we see a watchful eye surrounded by stylised laurel leaves, to the right, we see a section of the Austrian Parliament building in the background. But much more than this, the coin illustrates the spirit from which our nation was born. This is reflected in the Austrian Constitution, where it says: "Austria is a democratic republic. Its law emanates from the people." These wise words appear on the top and bottom edges of the coin.

Denomination: UK 50 p
Alloy: Cupro-nickel
Weight: 8 g
Diameter: 27,3 mm
Quality Brilliant Uncirculated
Year: 2022

On 8 September 2022, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. For more than seven decades, Her Majesty upheld a promise she made in which she pledged her heart and devotion to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. From her coronation, a historic day of pageantry and celebration, to her recent Platinum Jubilee, The Royal Mint had the privilege of celebrating many milestones and special occasions during Her Majesty’s 70-year reign. In honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s incredible life and legacy, The Royal Mint now pays tribute to this truly remarkable woman with a memorial coin collection. Created by British sculptor Martin Jennings, the obverse of each coin in the collection bears the first definitive coinage portrait of His Majesty The King.

Celebrate the life and legacy of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch
Struck to honour Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Personally approved by the monarch, the first definitive coinage portrait of His Majesty The King features on the obverse of the coin
The reverse design features a design created for the 1953 coronation crown coin in poignant tribute to Her Majesty
Finished to Brilliant Uncirculated standard
Supplied in an official Royal Mint printed wallet exploring Queen Elizabeth II's historic legacy

Quality: Special Uncirculated
Face Value: 5 Euro
Diameter: 28,5 mm
Copper: 99,9%
Total Weight: 8,5 g
Mintage: 50 000
Comes without packaging

Why talk when you can dance instead? That’s how bees communicate. Their ‘waggle dance’ is a wonderful phenomenon and one that not only bees themselves benefit from. Other living creatures, including humans, do so too, because bees are a vital part of our ecosystem: their welfare is our welfare.

In the early 20th century, the unusual behaviour of honeybees piqued the curiosity of behavioural scientist Karl von Frisch (1886–1982), who grew up in Vienna. He was intrigued by the way the insects sometimes move in circles and perform a figure of-eight ‘waggle dance’. In time, von Frisch discovered that when doing so, bees are in fact ‘speaking’ a dance language to the other members of their hive to show them where they can find pollen and nectar. Although originally disputed by other scientists, von Frisch’s theory eventually earned him the Nobel Prize in 1973.

The ‘round dance’, in which bees walks in a circle, turn around, then walk the same circle in the opposite direction, tells watching bees that there are flowers with pollen in the immediate vicinity of the hive. When the food source is further away, the waggle dance tells the watching bees how far it is and in which direction they can find it. A representation of the waggle dance is shown in the background on the coin’s reverse, behind a bee in flight and above a decorative honeycomb deign. The obverse of the nine-sided coin shows the coats of arms of all the provinces of Austria. Not just for nature lovers, whether in copper or silver, Waggle Dance makes for a great spring or Easter gift.
In the early 20th century, the unusual behavior of honey bees piqued the curiosity of behavioral scientist Karl von Frisch (1886–1982), who grew up in Vienna. He was intrigued by the way the insects sometimes move in circles and perform a figure-of-eight ‘waggle dance’. In time, von Frisch discovered that when doing so, bees are in fact ‘speaking’ a dance language to the other members of their hive to show them where they can find pollen and nectar. Although originally disputed by other scientists, von Frisch’s theory eventually earned him the Nobel Prize in 1973 for achievements in comparative behavioural physiology and pioneering work in communication between insects. It is not just bees themselves that benefit from this wonderful phenomenon, as other living creatures, including humans, do so too. Honey bees, wild bees and bumble bees are a vital part of the ecosystem: their welfare is our welfare.

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm

Poseidon, as the god of water and of the sea, is the lord of sea creatures, so the sign of the pair of fish is more than appropriate. Pisces, however, also dives deeper in Poseidon’s realm. For starters, it is associated with the feet, and Poseidon is also a god of the earth, of tremors and geological processes, closely tied to water eroding rocks. The sea is also considered to be where the pillars of the universe are located in most western Eurasian religions, and in Greek thought Poseidon’s realm extends even to the Underworld, where the four rivers run, a connection particularly important in the more chthonic versions of Hellenic religion. If Cancer is the Moon and it’s spiritual essence while Scorpio is blood and the impulses, with Aquarius also representing sky waters, Pisces is simply the pure nature of water as an element, symbolizing the immensity of the seas and the many freshwater bodies. It’s the sign of mutability and change, resonating with water’s classical attribute as well as the very real quick and natural changes into ice, liquid, gas or cloud and also the currents. It also symbolizes Spring waters, be them from rains or melting snow and ice, feeding the fields and civilization, acting as water changing the surrounding environment.

Materiall: CuNi
Weight: 9g
Diameter: 26,9 mm
Mintage: 100 000

It is the third coin issued as part of the “Wonderful world of insects” series, which will see a total of nine coins with partially coloured motifs issued over the period 2022-24. The series is intended to bring into focus – especially in light of current developments (insect extinction) – a special group of animals that make up a significant part of our natural heritage.

The €5 collectors’ coin “Swallowtail” is made of a cupronickel alloy. It weighs 9.68 g, measures 27.25 mm in diameter and will be available both in mint condition and with a proof-like finish. The mint condition coins will be brought into circulation at their face value (€5). The collector quality coins with a proof-like finish will be higher than their face value and will be issued by the Münze Deutschland (Germany’s official sales agency for collector coins).

The coin was designed by Bastian Prillwitz, an artist based in Berlin (picture side), and Andre Witting, a Berlin-based artist (reverse).

The reverse, which will be used for all coins in the series, features an eagle, the words “BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND”, the value and denomination, the year 2023, the twelve stars of Europe and the letter “G” for the State Mint of Karlsruhe.

Its smooth edge is engraved with the inscription: “WUNDERWELT INSEKTEN” (WONDERFUL WORLD OF INSECTS).