One of the last of the 2015 silver bullions coins has finally appeared on the market and it also has the distinction of being one of the last Year of the Goat lunars to appear as well. There are a few lunar bullion coins on the market, the big guns obviously being the Perth Mint and the recent Royal Mint ranges, but these Somaliland Lunars are more than welcome and make a nice addition to collectors sets.
These are, like the Somali Elephant coins struck for Emporium Hamburg by the Bayer Mint, what is termed ‘Agency coins‘. What this means is that a coin producer acquires the license from a national government to issue coins up to a pre-determined mintage limit. In this case the producer is German companyFaller Precious Metals who have an estore at Silbertresor.de. Up until 2013 the coins were struck in Germany, but since the Lunar Horse last year these have been struck at the Sunshine Mint in the United States. We understand ths is linked to the change in tax legislation in Germany at the beginning of 2014, something we’ve been led to believe was also responsible for the end of the Cook Islands Bounty bullion coin at the same time.
Available now in one-ounce form, only the 2012 Dragon was struck in another format (¼oz), there’s also a proof version with a mintage limit set at 1,000.
THE RANGE
Having its debut back in 2010 with the Year of the Tiger coin, the Somaliland Lunar bullion coin range is currently struck in the United States by the Sunshine Mint. Certainly one of the less well known silver bullion coins despite a reported mintage limit set at a relatively healthy 120,000 units, the coins all follow a similar design pattern.
It’s an attractive enough range with in our view the Tiger, Dragon and Horse showing the most dynamism although you could almost say the range alternates being these and a more sedentary design. This years design is definitely not a dynamic one and a bit of a change of pace, especially from last years Horse artwork. As with all things appearance is a personal thing, but most collectors will want to add one to their sets of annual designs. Stackers will be pleased to know that premiums on the coin are firmly towards the lower end of the market.
Earlier coins have shown signs of appreciation, possibly lending credit to the notion that the 120,000 maximum mintage was never approached, hardly surprising given the relatively low profile of the range. One for the speculators perhaps?
SPECIFICATION
| DENOMINATION | COMPOSITION | WEIGHT | DIAMETER | FINISH | MINTAGE | BOX / COA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 SHILLINGS | 0.999 SILVER | 31.103 g | 39.00 mm | BULLION | T.B.C. | NO |
| 1,000 SHILLINGS | 0.999 SILVER | 31.103 g | 39.00 mm | PROOF | 1,000 | YES / YES |
