Sell Outs
Christmas on Coins – Five Festive Stories…
With the festive season underway, Christmas-themed coins and medals are proving popular with collectors again this year.
I’ve taken a look at the stories behind 5 of the most collectible Christmas coins and medals available today…
The star- shaped Christmas coin: 
This Australian festive star-shaped Christmas coin features a beautiful full-colour image of a snow-covered Christmas tree. But what makes it even more special is the hole in the capsule, which allows a ribbon to be tied transforming the coin into a Christmas tree ornament.
Struck from .999 silver in an innovative star-shaped design, this coin would be the highlight of any tree!
The only ‘official’ Christmas coin: 
This coin, featuring a gold-plated Rudolph, can lay claim to being the world’s only ‘official’ Christmas coin. Why? Because it is issued on behalf of ‘Christmas Island’ – a tiny Pacific atoll that is part of Kiribati.
Each year, Christmas Island releases a new edition of this silver crown coin, and they have become some of the most sought after festive coins issued worldwide. After all, you can’t get more authentic than a Christmas coin from Christmas Island!
The fastest-selling and most collectible coins in the world:
The Royal Canadian Mint Silver $20 Coins have become a collecting phenomenon. First issued in 2011 they became some of the fastest-selling, most collectible coins of all time.
The very first mintage of 200,000 coins sold out within 29 days – that’s 7,000 coins a day.
Both of these coins have sold out in Canada and it’s unlikely to be long until they sell out in the UK too.
A moving Christmas tribute:
The French Mint, La Monnaie de Paris, have issued a medal to pay tribute to the soldiers of the First World War.
The artistic masterpiece features a design that represents the Christmas Truce – showing a scene of rare peace and goodwill between enemy soldiers in the trenches.
The Christmas Truce was a series of widespread but unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front around Christmas 1914. In the week leading up to the holiday, German and British soldiers crossed trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and talk.
Roughly 100,000 British and German troops were involved in the unofficial cessations of hostility along the Western Front.
The Snowman and the Snowdog:
Everyone is familiar with the magical Christmas story of The Snowman and The Snowdog. Last year, the Isle of Man issued a crown-sized coin featuring the loveable characters from the 2012 sequel film to Raymond Briggs classic story.
The Snowman and The Snowdog is a 2012 animated short film. It is the sequel to The Snowman, and was created to mark the 30th anniversary of the original short film. The Snowman and The Snowdog is dedicated to John Coates, the film’s producer, who died in September 2012.
If you’re interested: 
If you fancy adding a Christmas coin to your collection, or perhaps as a gift, we have just 24 star-shaped Christmas Coins available.
The talk of the 2015 World’s Fair of Money…
At this year’s American Numismatic Association World Money Fair in Chicago there is one coin everyone is talking about – the world’s first maple leaf-shaped coin.
The Cut-Out Silver Maple Leaf coin is already 92% sold worldwide
Struck by The Royal Canadian Mint for Modern Numismatics International, this impressive Fine Silver $20 Coin is shaped like Canada’s iconic maple leaf and has such intricate engraving you can even see the veins in the leaf itself.
The Canadian Mint are known for their innovation and this is new release is no exception.
But it doesn’t stop there. They have even created a bespoke red maple leaf-shaped box complete with viewing window to add to the coins appeal.
Perhaps unsurprisingly this coin is set to be one of the fastest selling issues of 2015, with the Mint selling out of their allocation in 2 days.
The show ends on Saturday but this is certainly a coin that will be sought-after by collectors for many months to come.
It’s not too late…
The Westminster Collection has secured a limited stock of these stunning coins and you can add one to your collection today.
But you’ll have to be quick, it’s unlikely this opportunity will come up again.
5 coins that show why collectors are turning to Canada…
Did you know today is Canada day? 148 years ago Canada became a country in its own right. Whilst the anniversary may be a bit of a stretch for us to celebrate, we can certainly appreciate the work of the Royal Canadian Mint over the last few years. Here are just 5 of my favourite coins, each of which demonstrates why Canada is now a world leader in numismatics…
A first for the Royal Canadian Mint… 
The beautiful detail of this coin makes it one of my favourites and is without a doubt a numismatic masterpiece. The 2015 5oz silver Maple Leaf is the first ever 5oz coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint to feature a hologram. The maple leaf is the quintessential national symbol of Canada and this coin is the latest to be released as part of their popular annual 5oz Maple Leaf release. Each coins hologram has been individually struck directly onto the coin resulting in an extremely precise and detailed finish. 90% of the worldwide 1,500 edition limit has been sold already – which isn’t all that surprising considering it is 1,000 coins less than last years sell-out 5oz issue!
The start of a remarkable collecting story… 
Canada’s early history is one of exploration and discovery. This ‘Voyageur’ 3 coin set tells a truly fascinating story about Canada’s heritage and to me there is nothing better than owning a coin that depicts a significant part in the history of a country. The ‘Voyageur’ is the design that depicts Canada’s humble beginnings which was shaped by explorers and native aboriginals. This set pays special tribute to the iconic Canadian ‘Voyageur’ Dollar. An original 1935 dollar, the 75th anniversary issue, and the $20 for $20 canoe tribute are included in this 3 coin set. The edition limit for this special numismatic set is just 495 worldwide. This is testament to just how hard it is to acquire these three coins together.
The coin with a hidden message…
Just 495 limited edition sets were issued to mark the 70th Anniversary of VE Day. The set includes an original Victory nickel coin and the new 2015 5-Cent victory coin. The new 2015 5-cent coin is almost twice the size of the original and struck in pure silver with selective gold-plating. I consider these coins to feature one of the most interesting and carefully thought out designs. If you look closely you can see The Morse code has been carefully engraved around the edge of the reverse of the coins.
Cutting edge in coin security… 
Limited to 2,500, this coin is another example of the craftsmanship and design expertise of the Royal Canadian Mint. The Silver Maple Leaf coin is issued annually but not only does it radiate elegance, it sports an advanced micro engraved design that is only visible under magnification. The design is textured which enables the coin to achieve a light-diffracting effect, in my opinion this intensifies user experience. The illuminating effect this coin portrays makes it a stunning creation and offers the perfect mix of collectible beauty and investment appeal.
Already set to be the best selling coin of 2015…
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Canada’s Flag, so to celebrate the Royal Canadian Mint has increased the face value of their usual $20 coins to $25 and issued the design in full colour. The red and white Maple Leaf flag beautifully captures such an important anniversary for Canada and guarantees to increase interest for collectors of Canadian coins. The Fine Silver Canadian Flag Coin coin is already set to be the best selling coin of 2015 for the Royal Canadian Mint and limited to just 1,500 pieces, it is almost certain to be a sell-out.
These are just a handful of the fascinating coins issued by The Royal Canadian Mint, all of which differ in size, colour and age. It is a day like today that makes me appreciate the creativity and effort put into the coins issued by the Royal Canadian Mint since they were founded in 1908.
If you’re interested….
The Westminster Collection has limited stock of these issues available to order today.