The coolest secret agent in movie history, James Bond – Codename 007 – is a franchise juggernaut. Springing from the mind of actual ex-spy Ian Fleming in 1953, Bond appeared in twelve novels and two short-story collections by his creator, with a further eight authors adding to canon. It’s the movies that have propelled Bond to ultra-iconic status, from the Sean Connery headed ‘Dr No.’ in 1962, to this years last Daniel Craig headlined movie, ‘No Time To Die’. Grossing over $7B, there can be hardly anybody that hasn’t seen at least one of them (hint: Craig’s Casino Royale is brilliant).

The Royal Mint has jumped fully into the franchise for its first release. Of most interest to us mere mortals will be what the mint is calling its ‘Core’ range. This comprises three designs by Matt Dent and Christian Davies which depict some of the more iconic elements of 007’s history. The beautiful Aston Martin DB5, the brilliant underwater Lotus Esprit, and Bond’s trademark tuxedo each adorn their own proof coins. Silver variants come in 1/2oz and 1oz form, with gold in 1/4oz and 1oz. In addition, the mint has an ‘Inspired Innovation’ selection, which comprises a silver 2oz and a gold 2oz proof. These benefit from an enhanced strike which can be seen in the ‘007’ element of the design. The textured finish is replaced with a micro-engraved repeating list of the Bond movie titles.

Headlining the release is the mints ‘Special Issue’ range, which, with one exception, can best be described as ‘not for those with a mortgage’. This is our favourite design of the four and depicts that gorgeous Aston Martin DB5 face-on, with the Bond movie logo pattern behind and underneath it. Clean and elegant, Laura Clancy has done a brilliant job with the flagship issue. There is a 5oz silver version, which is easily our favourite of the affordables, but from there on it gets increasingly ridiculous. A 5oz gold coin selling for just shy of ten grand is the budget option, followed by a £60k one-kilo gold, a £130k two-kilo gold, and a SEVEN-kilo gold selling for a price unrevealed, likely for fear of causing collectors to have heart attacks… This is the largest coin the Royal Mint has ever released in its eleven century existence. Having a mintage of one, don’t expect change from half a million quid.

Also coming later in March are a trio of James Bond themed bars from Royal Mint Bullion. A ten ounce silver (0.9999 in this case), one ounce silver, and one ounce gold (individually numbered) make up the range. We’ve yet to receive pictures, but the bars will carry the title of all of the official Bond movies, including the yet to be released 2020 addition. This seems a neat addition as long as premiums aren’t inflated excessively as a result.

All told, we’re huge fans of this new range and we expect it to be a huge success. It manages to

capture the essence of 007 while also having considerably more artistic

merit than the Perth Mints recent underwhelming issue. Hopefully, this will lead to further additions in the coming years. All the coins are available to buy from today and we’re expecting huge amounts of

activity on the Royal Mint website. A great release.