We all know that the Lunar market can sometimes seem an endless procession of coins with similar themes and designs, and while there are releases that rise above the pack, it’s genuinely rare to see something completely different. We’re not talking about inset crystals, agate, gilding or fluorescence for example, but something that deviates from the overall theme. A quick look through our huge Year of the Goat Superguide will show you scores of coins, pretty much all with the same basic design; a picture of a goat.

Coming from nowhere, and from a new arrival on the coin producing scene is the debut release in a new 12-coin series entitled ‘Lunar Skulls’. Depicting exactly what you’d expect from the title, each coin will feature the skull of the lunar animal. Fortunately, despite being one of the less impressive animals visually, the goat has a seriously cool looking skull and that’s been ramped up to 11 by Portland, Oregon based tattoo artist, Kiana Roo, whose work can be seen at Kangaroo Paw Tattoo.

The new coin producer is SM Mint, an extension of a US coin dealer who runs from an EBay store called Son-Montuno. Their website will be up shortly and we look forward to what comes next after this impressive debut.