Tag: Coin Collecting

Celebrating 80 Years of Batman with a Silver Coin!

batmancoin

Hold on to your wallet, Bat-man! The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) is offering a limited run of a very cool collectible for investors and collectors alike. Only 10,000 coins will be pressed. The iconic bat logo will be put on 99.99% silver and this item is made to celebrate 80 years of Batman! DC Comics have their plans ready for release in March of next year; however, collectors can get this item before Christmas.

The reason behind using Batman’s iconic logo is because, during the 1940s, the series saw many important elements introduced into the lore. The first use of the Bat-Signal in Detective Comics #60. Batman’s support team have changed over the years. Whether they stood the test of time is subject to debate. This symbol resonates because it is so universally recognized,

Out of all the comic book tie-in collectibles the mint has offered over the years (including a set of Justice League collectibles), this item is the most noteworthy. The past had tie-ins with films, which became a mainstay with the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Anniversaries of when the characters first came out are more appealing, and this is one I’m certainly eyeing to join in with my 75th-anniversary coin of Superman.

Continue reading “Celebrating 80 Years of Batman with a Silver Coin!”

Royal Canadian Mint to Finish Releasing a Trilogy of Haunted Canada Coins

154468_hero-185By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The Royal Canadian Mint‘s Haunted Canada series of coins is coming to an end. September 8th marked the release of this third and final coin in the series. To own all three will certainly be a delight for paranormal enthusiasts and coin collectors alike! As viewers gaze upon this lenticular image, it will transform from a pretty spirit to a shrieking one! Artist Susanna Blunt crafted this ethereal image.

While the television series Creepy Canada explored close to 100 famously haunted places all around this country, not all of them are all that well-known worldwide. If I was to choose the most famous, I have to say the Ghosts of Fort Henry (Fort Henry, Ontario), the Bell Island spirit (Newfoundland/Labrador) and the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (Banff, Alberta) are the best known.

From this list, the Mint is recognizing Bell Island this year. Last year had Vancouver’s Headless Horseman (2015) and the year before the Ghost Bride (2014). The single coins are more or less sold out, but sets, which includes a series of stamps from Canada Post shows that both companies love their spooks!

This year’s release is very promising:

On Newfoundland and Labrador’s Bell Island, a restless female spirit is said to haunt the marshes near Dobbin’s Garden. She appears in two forms: one, as a beautiful woman dressed in white; the other, as a frightening old woman. Men who have dared to walk through the area have gone missing for days, only to emerge unaware of any passage of time. But what they do remember is the sudden apparition of a grotesque old woman moving toward them, pushing them to the ground, while the smell of death hangs in the air.

Hopefully Canada Post will continue their run since the list of haunted houses is enough to make into a book. To see this company continue the love for the paranormal, I’m willing to bet these spirits are sure to “stick around.”

Batman v Superman Memorabilia at the Royal Canadian Mint!

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Royal Canadian Mint Superman v Batman

Just because the Royal Canadian Mint can, they have found a niche market with collectible comic book coins. To celebrate the highly anticipated showdown in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in Zack Snyder’s re-imaging of the DC universe at the end of March, this producer of currency released a variety of Kryptonian, Themysciran and Bat currency easily tradable amongst collectors but not necessarily usable in the real world.

Well, that’s unless they were pressed in half ounce silver for those interested in getting a four coin subscription (each featuring the DC’s trinity of the mightiest heroes — Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman) or 24Karet gold (where only 3,000 pieces are made), showing Superman and Batman side-by-side (shouldn’t they be fighting each other?), as though ready to fight a greater foe who has yet to emerge. This pricey offering is not for the faint of heart. It’s priced at $749.95 CAD.

Other coins include a $20 Fine Silver coins featuring the two actually slugging it out. 300,000 pieces were pressed of this item. The coin that’s worth obtaining at is the “Trinity” piece featuring all three together in one angular design. The likeness of the performers are not fully recognized in this item, but it is the most attractive one of the six items offered. Artist Susanna Blunt did an excellent job in capturing the ethos of each character.

Even in the world of coin collecting, the love for 3D type collectables never goes away. The lenticular coin is neat to look at. By changing the angle, Superman turns into Batman and vice versa. While its unlikely this year’s set of collectable coins will appreciate in value, at least people can say they own a piece of Krypton, Themyscira or the Batcave.

These licensed items are approved by DC Comics.

Superman Sails into Another Year at the Royal Canadian Mint

2015-20-Superman-Comic-Cover-Silver-CoinsBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

The Royal Canadian mint is making a mistake with yet another collectible Superman coin for no reason at all. The problem here is that ever since they decided to create a 75th anniversary coin and they saw that there is an instant market, the thought that they can cater to the demand may well see the demise of modern coin collecting much like how the mid 90s saw comic book collecting hit its lowest point of being an enjoyable hobby. This year has 7 different coins and there are television commercials still running to let Canadians know that there’s ample supply.

No Kryptonite is used to press these latest additions. Instead, silver and gold are used.
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Superman Coins Are Designed to Impress than to Speculate

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Superman 1932

If last year’s 75th anniversary celebration by the Royal Canadian Mint of Superman as an iconic hero where one of his creators hailed from Canada is not enough, then this year’s unveiling of four new coins proves that even up north, we still love him like he is our own son. After all, Krypton is gone, America is his adopted home, and the world is his oyster. Just what else can he do?

Apparently the folks at the Mint decided to continue his legacy! The new coins are using art to promote the years he was best recognized: 1938 (when he first appeared), 1972 (to honour Action Comics #419), 2001 (as an acknowledgement of The Adventures of Superman #596 issue, printed that year) and 2012 (in recognition of the new 52 universe). Depending on when a new reader discovered Superman, he or she may opt for a single coin to display on the mantle to show when that person’s age of discovery began. Several decades are missed, but so what? The comic book covers chosen are meant to highlight a part of Supe’s legacy.

And thankfully, the Mint is not making the same mistake that DC Comics blundered into in 1992 by the over-printing of a product, resulting in the decline of comic book speculating. There’s hardly any redeemable value to any of the the bagged editions of Superman #75.

Superman Gold

Three of the new coins are minted in silver, with face values of $10, $15 and $20 and the fourth in gold with a face value of $100. The mint is only producing 10,000 of each silver coin, and the gold coin is limited to a run of 2,000 world-wide.

Just like last year, comic and coin collectors will have to seek out the Man of Steel fast before his memorabilia flies away! The love for collectible products may not continue for another year … or can it with a film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on the way?

 

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