It seems there’s going to be little in the way of ancient mythology coins losing any popularity in 2018 if the early roster of releases is to be believed. There are some quite superb new designs coming over the next couple of weeks as we head into Berlin for the World Money Fair and what better way to kick off a look at them than with a piece from one of the best in the business – the Mint of Poland. Responsible for some outstanding designs like the hit Ares issue, this producer is able to hit all the requirements for a top numismatic in this genre.

Not an addition to a current series but a new one, the mints latest piece remains firmly within the expected specification range for ancient history/mythology coins. This series is to be called Great Commanders and is an antique-finished, rimless, ultra-high relief silver coin of two ounces in weight. There are some rose-gold highlights (the red on our early images is not ink, but gilding), but in other respects the success of this coin rests exactly where it should – on the design. While we only have renders at present, the Ares coin proved they’re not overly ambitious and quite indicative of the finished article.

Shrouded in myth, there’s no question that Spartacus fits the bill as a commnader of note. He was able to take a largely untrained and inexperienced mix of slaves and former gladiators and go head-to-head with the Roman Army, the mightiest fighting force in the ancient world. Rampaging the whole length of Italy, his campaign came to its inevitable end in crushing defeat. The coin depicts Spartacus in gladiatorial garb and on rearing horseback getting stuck into a line of legionaires behind a shield wall. An army of gladiators fills the background in this mountain-set scene. Apart from the name ‘SPARTACUS’, the coin is free of intrusion. Red-gold gilding is used to highlight blood on swords and the unfortunate neck of a Roman.

The obverse is particularly noteworthy and follows this mints trend of not just filling this face with the obligatory effigy of Queen Elizabeth II (required as it’s issued for Niue Island), but of incorporating it into a custom design. This one is superb, depicting the route taken by Spartacus on his Italian package holiday covering all the best slaughtering resorts. A very impressive and imaginative use of space normally filled with little consideration to the reverse face.

The coin will be packaged in a wooden box inside a themed shipper sleeve and it comes with a certificate of authenticity. The mintage is capped at 999 pieces and given the overall design and the popularity of Ares, we can see this being very popular. You should see this appear at dealers shortly, the primary distributor being Mennica Gdanska (Mint of Gdansk), so be sure to check them out. A great debut and a series to watch.