Despite a hugely expanded range of new silver (and gold) bullion coins, Scottsdale are also sticking with their longer running ranges. One of the most popular of them, and now on its fifth issue, is the Silverback Gorilla coin that is issued for the African state, the Republic of Congo. Launching in 2015, the series has seen a single release annually ever since. The 2017 coin was a particular favourite, but all have been decent aesthetically.

Not a whole lot of change for the 2019 coin. The surrounding border area remains with the only change being the date of issue, obviously. Equally, the obverse is identical, so the only real difference is the central depiction of the Silverback Gorilla itself. We think it’s a good one, but it doesn’t reach the heights of the 2015 and 2017 issues in our opinion. We can see what the artist was trying to achieve, and can imagine it would look superb as an antique-finished 2oz ultra high relief coin, but it’s a little two-dimensional as struck here.

Sold in a capsule, or in strips of five, this fifth Congo Gorilla coin joins a series with plenty of fans. Available now, you should be able to pick these up from plenty of dealers worldwide as Scottsdale product has surged in popularity over the last few years.