The Twelve Olympians in the Zodiac - Hera & Aquarius Samoa 0.20 $ 2022 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

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

Artemis still remains intrinsic to the Sagittarius sign to this day: after all, who among the Olympians is the archer goddess, associated with the forests and the primeval might of the centaur? Like her brother Apollo, Artemis is a goddess of fiery arrows, illuminating the darkness and destroying those who offend her, and her role in this department might even be more relevant than her brother's. Sagittarius is also the first sign of the night as the beginning of the winter, relating to Artemis' intrinsic nature as a goddess of moonlight. The association of Sagittarius with Artemis also relates to her cult's rivalry with primitive Christianity: Sagittarius is the sign of truth and knowledge, and Artemis is the light bearer.

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.

Face value: 0.2 $
Issuing country: Samoa
Weight: 25 g
Diameter: 40 mm
Mintage: 3000

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

Hestia's main sign if Capricorn, which stresses her more subtle but relevant nature. Capricorn, like Sagittarius, also stresses order, stability and stoicness. More so, it takes theses traits further and is a sign associated with practicality, hard work, strong will and stubbornness. Hestia, as the perpetual tender of the flames, is definitely a very hard working and practical goddess, and while I by no means would refer to her as “stubborn”, she does have a strong will in what little myths she appears in. Capricorn is also relevant in it’s role in the Zodiac. It’s the sign that covers the Winter Solstice, when the Sun is at it’s lowest, being opposite to Cancer. Thus, not only does it coincide with the time of the year where Hestia’s influence is most important, as well as to her role as the center, it also coincides with a liminal time in the Zodiac, when the Sun is reborn.

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.

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.

Metal: NordicGold
Weight: 15,80 g
Diameter: 34 mm
Mintage: 10 000

In 2022, Smiley celebrates its fifth decade of smiles and optimism.

The emblematic yellow, round face of the brand was born on 1st, January 1972 in France, when journalist Franklin Loufrani used this infectious smile in the newspaper France-soir in order to highlight stories which brought positive news and cheered up French people’s spirit. This operation, called « Take the time to smile » was an immediate success.

In 1996, the logo is relaunched and developed in other forms : a new 3D version is created and new expressions are added in. Nowadays, from the smiley to the emoticon, smiling takes multiple forms, becoming a representative of cheerfulness !

Since the creation of the yellow smile in 1972, Smiley diversified the range of its expressions, conveying over a hundred émotions. From the smiley to the emoticon, smiling takes multiple forms.

Each mini-medal highlights a particular emotion : love, gratitude, gluttony, joy and laughing.

The medals are packaged in a coloured packaging, to treat to someone or to yourself.

Face Value: 1 Dollar
Weight: 50 g
Metal: Copper
Purity: 999
Diameter: 38,6 mm
Quality prooflike
Issuing Country_ Cook Island
Year Date: 2022
Mintage: 5 000

The Spartans – muscle-bound, fearless warriors from ancient Greece – were renowned for their nearly invincible army and unrivalled fighting skills using long spears, swords and round shields crafted from bronze and wood have captured the imagination for centuries. The myths surrounding Sparta and its warrior society are as old as the city itself. Reputedly founded in the 9th century BC, it was co-ruled by two kings who arbitrated in times of war. Upon its victory over the rival city-state of Athens in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), Sparta emerged as the most powerful state in Greece. The verso depicts “The Return of Helen on a Quadriga”. A scene from a well-known tale by the author Homer.

Face value: 5 €
Diameter: 34 mm
Weight: 19.1 g
Metal: Brass
Mintage: 40,000

The black stork is an unmistakable bird species. The adult has mainly black plumage with white underparts, long coral red legs and a long pointed beak. The beak and eye areas are the same colour as the legs, and the black plumage has an intense greenish-purple sheen. Adults weigh between around 2.4 kg and 3.2 kg. Black storks are distributed throughout most of Europe and Asia, and most forest areas of Slovakia are nesting sites for these birds. They typically nest in mature deciduous and mixed forests, preferring areas with wetlands and watercourses where they can forage for food. They select large trees with strong horizontal branches and show high fidelity to breeding sites and nesting trees. The base of the nest is formed by thick branches, while the interior is lined with twigs, clumps of grass, lichens and moss. The female lays two to four eggs. Both parents feed the fledglings by regurgitating food onto the nest floor. Black storks feed on smaller fish, amphibians, insects, gastropods, small mammals and small birds. They migrate to wintering grounds mainly in August and September. In Slovakia, the black stork is a protected species.

Obverse:
The obverse of the euro collector coin depicts a black stork hunting on a body of water. In the background is a tree with a stork’s nest. An adult stork is depicted flying towards a chick in the nest, carrying food in its beak. On the upper left side is the Slovak coat of arms and, above it, the year of issuance ‘2023’. On the right side is the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica), consisting of the letters ‘MK’ placed between two dies. Inscribed along part of the right edge is the name of the issuing country ‘SLOVENSKO’.

Reverse:
The reverse design depicts a black stork taking flight. To the right of this image are the denomination ‘5’ and currency ‘EURO’, one above the other. In the lower part of the design, next to the stork’s legs, are the stylised initials ‘MŠ’, referring to the coin’s designer Marie Šeborová. Inscribed along the lower edge and separated by a medial dot are the Slovak and scientific names for the black stork: ‘BOCIAN ČIERNY’ and ‘CICONIA NIGRA’.

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


The German government has decided to mint a €5 collectors’ coin entitled “Red mason bee”, to be issed at 7 September 2023. It is the fourth 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 “Red-tailed bumblebee” 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 Patrick Niesel, an artist based in Röthenbach an der Pegnitz (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 2024, the twelve stars of Europe and the letter “J” for the State Mint of Hamburg.

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

Face valie 2 x 0,5 AUS
Metal:
weight_ 2 x 9 g
Diameter: 25 mm
Mintage: 30 000

This two-coin set celebrates the Year of the Snake and is an auspicious and traditional gift or collectible for Lunar New Year. People born in the year of the Snake are said to be wise, calm and observant. The set features the serene Snake, amongst auspicious bamboo, a symbol of virtue; and the Chinese lunar calendar represented as a wheel. Good luck and good fortune for 2025.

To celebrate the Lunar Year of the Snake, the Royal Australian Mint will release this 2025 $1 Uncirculated Two-Coin Set featuring the creative and serene Snake and the Lunar calendar wheel. The set is designed to appeal to collectors or those seeking an auspicious and traditional gift for Lunar New Year. The Snake is the sixth of the twelve signs in the Chinese Zodiac. According to legend, twelve animals participated in a race across a river to allow the Jade Emperor to establish the order of the signs of the Chinese horoscope.