Biblical Coins

Biblical Silver Coin Series from JM Bullion

There’s an exciting new series of silver coins available today in the precious metals marketplace, and it just might be one of the most robust options you’ll find right now. The Biblical Silver Coin series from the Scottsdale Mint is a collection of bullion coins available from the nation of Niue. The series launched in 2015 with six designs, and has continued in each year since with six new designs for each release year.

Coin series rarely run as long or go as in-depth in the design intricacy as the Biblical Silver Coin collection from Scottsdale Mint. Each coin is meticulously designed and refined with the appearance of ancient coinage in mind from start to finish. While the coins of the release series feature similarities from one year to the next, there are different reverse designs with each new year of availability. Journey through the stories of the Bible with us as we look at the Biblical Coins of Niue.

Background on the Series

The Biblical Coin Series from the Scottsdale Mint was released in 2015 with the story of Exodus from the Bible. The coin was the first of the year and of the series, and brought to life the tales of the Bible on breathtaking silver coins. Each coin in the series shares the following commonalities:

• High-relief design on a rimless blank with antique finish
• Contains 2 Troy oz of .999 pure silver
• Limited mintage of only 1,499 coins per release
• Bears a face value of 2 Dollars backed by Niue
• Obverse design of Queen Elizabeth II
• Designs based upon artwork from Gustave Dore

First and foremost, these coins have an ancient look and feel courtesy of the design of the blanks themselves. Each of the Biblical Silver Coins from Scottsdale Mint starts out as a rimless blank, mimicking the appearance of ancient coinage which often did not feature any sort of reeded or smooth edging around the rim.

Secondly, these coins are all 2 oz specimens struck in high relief and finished with an antique polish. High-relief designs lend a greater 3D appearance to the design fields, and the use of antique polish provides added depth to the intricate details of each individual design used in the collection.

Additionally, each coin in the series includes a laser-engraved edge-lettered individual serial number. These numbers range from 1 to 1,499 in each design release, and a Certificate of Authenticity is included in the packaging that reflects each coin’s serial number. The coins are packaged inside of a Bible-themed books.

Finally, the shared the obverse imagery is a unique departure for most commonwealth coinage such as those produced for Niue. While the vast majority of commonwealth nations in the South Pacific use the right-profile effigy of Queen Elizabeth II created in 1998 by Ian Rank-Broadley, the Scottsdale Mint went back in time to revive the third-generation effigy.

These coins have a right-profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that was created in 1984 by Raphael Maklouf for use on British and commonwealth coinage. Maklouf was born in Jerusalem prior to World War II, and his family emigrated to the United Kingdom after the war. Maklouf’s third-generation depiction of the Queen features a higher crown atop her head with more intricate details to the jewelry she wears. This design was in use from 1984 to 1997.

2015 Design Releases

The designs released during the first year of availability for the Biblical Silver Coins covered some of the most relevant and well-known stories from the Bible. Released in order, these designs included:

• Exodus: Among the Bible’s earliest tales, this design captures the exodus of the Jewish people out of Egypt. The trek was fraught with danger and included a daring escape across the Red Sea as the waves parted and the Egyptians chased behind. The waters would remain open just long enough for the Jews to cross before closing in and drowning the Egyptians.
• Crucifixion: Jesus was betrayed by the leaders of the synagogue and sentenced by Rome’s governor in Judea, Pontius Pilate, to die on the cross. This most important tale from the Bible of Jesus taking away mankind’s sin is featured as Christ hangs from the cross dying on the reverse.
• David & Goliath: An epic tale of skill over might, David was a lowly shepherd until he slew the giant known as Goliath with a single stone from his sling. The artwork on this coin shows the man who would become King of Israel victoriously holding over his head the decapitated head of Goliath.
• The Ten Commandments: One of the Bible’s most important stories, this coin’s design reflects the moment Moses descends from the mountain top with the stone tables upon which God has etched 10 commandments for mankind to abide by. As he reveals them to the people, a bolt of lightning streaks in the background.
• The Pale Horse: From Revelations 6:7-8, this design follows Death as the fourth and final horseman of the apocalypse. He holds power over one-quarter of earth and will destroy it by sword, famine, plague, and wild beasts. The figure of death wears a flowing robe with a sickle in hand as he rides through the clouds a demonic, pale horse.
• The New Jerusalem: The design in this releases focuses on Revelations 21:1-4 when John describes the founding a new holy city as shown to him by God. The illustration depicts an angel revealing the holy city to John.

2016 Design Releases

The Biblical Silver Coin Series continued into 2016 with six new design releases available, again following the most popular and frequently referenced stories from the Bible. The collection of coins from this year includes the following design releases:

• 2016 Daniel in the Den of Lions – Daniel was a cast into the lion’s den by jealous rivals who saw his quick rise to high office with his royal master Darius the Mede as a challenge to their position. Darious bowed to the pressure of Daniel’s jealous contemporaries, but Daniel was delivered from death by an angel sent by God, who found Daniel blameless before him.
• 2016 The Last Supper – On the night before he was crucified by the Romans, Jesus sat down with his disciples for one final dinner. At this time, he offered them wine representative of his blood and bread representative of his body, a ritual still recounted in church services today through communion.
• 2016 Adam & Eve – One of the Bible’s most significant stories, Adam and Even form the backbone of creation as the first man and woman, created in God’s likeness. The pair live in the Garden of Eden, until they disobey God’s order not to eat from the forbidden tree. Tricked into doing so by the serpent, known to be Satan incarnate, they are cast out into the darkness from the garden.
• 2016 The Good Samaritan – Anyone who lends aid to another out of the goodness of their heart is known as a Good Samaritan. The biblical tale of this comes from a man who stopped to help a traveler who had been beaten and stripped of his clothes on a road, even after others had left him for dead and rendered no assistance.
• 2016 Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones – A more obscure tale from the Bible, this coin reflects the story of Ezekiel’s vision of a valley of dried out corpses. As walks through it in his dream, they reconstitute as human beings and are said to be the exiled people of Israel.
• 2016 the Birth of Jesus – One of the seminal moments in Christian theology, Jesus is said to have been born on December 25^th in a humble manger tucked away in a barn in the town of Bethlehem. To this day, Christians celebrate Christmas Day on December 25^th as the day of birth for their savior.

2017 Design Releases

The third full year of designs delivers six more entries in the Biblical Series from Scottsdale Mint. Like previous years, some of the Bible’s most poignant stories are captured on the reverse face of the coins. The designs available from 2017 include:

• 2017 The Baptism of Jesus – Jesus was famously baptized in the waters by his follower John the Baptist. This moment in his life is captured on the reverse design as he stands in ankle-deep water near John.
• 2017 Nailing Christ to the Cross – In the moments leading up to his death via crucifixion, Jesus is nailed to a cross by Roman soldiers to die as commanded by Pontius Pilate. Stakes are driven through his hands and feet before he is hoisted upright, left to die of exhaustion and suffocation as his body fails to hold its own weight on the cross.
• 2017 Jacob Wrestles the Angel – Open to various forms of interpretation, the image of Jacob wrestling the Angel is a famous one from the Bible. Some say it is a mere tussle with an Angel, while others believe the Angel actually represents God in the battle.
• 2017 Jesus Calms the Seas – Amidst a torrent of rain and heavy winds on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples of Christ believe they are going to die as their master looks on. Befuddled by his inaction, they awaken Christ only for him to reach out and calm the seas on his own power.
• The Death of Abel: Mankind’s second great sin came in the form of the deadly sibling rivalry between Cain and Abel. The two brothers were the children of Adam and Eve, and out of jealousy for his closeness to God, Cain killed his brother Abel. In the design, Cain realizes the gravity of the moment as he looks down at his brother dead on the ground.
• The Wise Men: On the day of Christ’s birth, a bright star shone in the sky above to lead the three magi, or three wise men, across the desert to Bethlehem where they would bestow gifts upon the newborn King of the Jews.

2018 Design Releases

The fourth year of designs in the Biblical Series takes the collection beyond the 20-design mark with six new offerings available through the end of the calendar year. Included designs in this fourth year feature:

• Noah’s Dove: Following years and years of mankind’s descent into sin and straying from the path of God, he took action to cleanse the world of sin by sending an epic flood. Only the animals of the world and Noah’s family would survive. After 40 days on the flood waters in the arch God commanded him to build, Noah sent out a dove to find dry land.
• Jesus Scourged: This design captures the moments before Christ was eventually nailed to the cross. Sentenced by Pilate, he was forced to walk through the streets of Jerusalem carrying his own cross and tormented by the people of the city.
• Chariot of Fire: A unique entry, this design focuses on the tale of Elijah’s ascent into heaven. He is carried upon a chariot of flames into the heavens as the clouds part to guide his way.
• John the Baptist: Though a follower of Christ, John the Baptist is believed to be one of the most important figures of the Bible. Some would suggest even more so than Jesus. It was John, after all, who baptized Jesus. In this design, John meets his demise when calls for his death end with his head on a platter.
• Temptation of Jesus: Christ famously spent 40 days and nights wandering the desert without food. As his fasting came to an end, the devil appeared before him to offer him the crown of an entire kingdom on Earth if he only kneeled before the devil. Jesus resisted and reaffirmed the righteousness of God.
• Ascension of Jesus: Rising from the dead three days after his crucifixion, Jesus proved to his followers that he was the son of God. After reappearing before his disciples and other followers of the new faith, Jesus rose into the heavens to join his father at the right hand of God.

2019 Designs

The coin designs issued in the 2019 date mark bring the series from release number 25 overall to the 30^th overall in the collection. As with other dates, the 2019 Biblical Series Silver Coins deliver new reverse images with each release that include the following:

• Samson Slays the Lion: From the passages of Judges 14, readers learn of the Judge known as Samson, a man with superhuman strength who uses that power to slaw a lion with his bare hands. Gifted to him by the Holy Spirits, Samson’s feat of snapping the lion’s head in half at the jaw is a physical representation of the power of God.
• Crown of Thorns: During the trial of Jesus Christ at the hands of the Romans in control of Jerusalem, Christ is mocked for his title as King of the Jews. To drive this point home, the Romans crown him with thorns as part of his public embarrassment and torture prior to the crucifixion.
• First Born Slain: God showcased his power to the Egyptians holding the Jewish people as slaves by slaying the first-born son in every family of Egypt. Jewish families avoided the curse by marking the doors of their homes with the blood of a sacrificial animal. God’s curse on the Egyptians proved so powerful it not only claimed the life of the pharaoh’s son, but also the firstborn among the livestock of Egypt as well.
• Cast the First Stone: John 8:1-11 speaks of a moment when Jesus overcomes a challenge to his teachings at the hands of the Pharisees. Attempting to trip him up, the Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus who was caught in the act of adultery. The laws of Moses said the woman should be stoned. Rather than going against the law, Jesus merely invited those without sin in the crowd to cast the first stone upon the woman.
• Crowned Virgin: The penultimate release of 2019 shows a crowned virgin standing amidst the warmth of the sun in heaven. From the book of Revelations, the scene depicts the crowned virgin holding her child as angels descend from above to defend the virgin and child from a seven-headed beast.
• Moses on the Nile: The story of Moses is one of the most famous of the Old Testament. The man who lead the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt and to the promised land, Moses came from humble beginnings. His mother protected him from death by hiding him in a basket among the reeds of the Nile River. He was later found by the pharaoh’s daughter and raised in the Egyptian leader’s household.

2020 Designs

The releases of the 2020 Biblical Series silver coins follow the images from the 31^st overall release to the 36^th design of the series. While none of the release years have a particular focus, you will notice that the 2020 Biblical Series captures a number of scenes in which Jesus Christ performs many of the miracles associated with his ministry. The designs of 2020 include:

• Jesus Walking On the Sea: One of the many miracles of Jesus Christ occurs on the Sea of Galilee as he walks out to save his nervous disciples. The miracle of Jesus walking on the water occurs after he turns one bread and one fish into countless loaves and fishes for his followers to eat, and right before he calms the seas. In the design, he walks toward Peter in the water to rescue him.
• Judas Kiss: One of the most infamous moments in the Bible is the moment when Judas, a disciple of Jesus Christ, betrays him to the Romans. Judas identifies Jesus to the Romans by kissing him on the cheek, making it easy for the Romans to quickly capture the right person.
• Fiery Furnace: Another of the miracles of the Bible, the survival of three Hebrew men in a fiery furnace in Babylon is one assigned to God himself. The Hebrew men are saved from death by flames thanks to their faith in the Lord Almighty.
• Resurrection of Lazarus: To showcase the power of God and his own status as the son of God, Jesus resurrects Lazarus from the dead in full view of others. Delaying his visit to meet with Lazarus while he is alive, but ill, Jesus arrives and brings him back from the dead.
• Destruction of Leviathan: Among the ancient beasts of the Bible is the Leviathan, a massive sea creature regarded as a symbol of evil. The scene shows God reigning above in Heaven as he unsheathes his sword to defeat the Leviathan.
• Christ in the Synagogue: As word of his ministry grows, Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth. Here, he teaches in the synagogue to the amazement of those in attendance. Many openly question where he gets the wisdom and power, especially to complete the miracles associated with his ministry.

Information on the Artist: Gustave Dore

Dore was a French artist, printmaker, illustrator, and sculptor whose preferred medium of work was wood engraving. Born in January 1832, he died in January 1883. His 1866 works known as the “illustrations for the Bible” launched him to fame and were considered an immense success. The collection was housed in a major exhibition in London in 1867, and provided the inspiration for each of the coin designs and releases in the Biblical Silver Series from the Scottsdale Mint.

About the Nation of Niue

Niue isn’t exactly the first nation to come to mind when you think about a massive presence in the precious metals industry. Nevertheless, mints such as the New Zealand Mint and now Scottsdale Mint are producing endless coin programs for the nation. Located 1,500 miles northeast of New Zealand, the small island nation has a total land area of just 100 square miles and a population of 1,612 as of 2016. Today, the nation exists in a state of free association with New Zealand, with the latter nation conducting most of the diplomatic relations for Niue and providing for its defense.

Scottsdale Mint

Located in the city of Scottsdale, Arizona, the Scottsdale Mint is a private American minting location with a growing profile. Products from the Scottsdale Mint are distributed around the world through a network of authorized distributors and dealers. The mint has been recognized for its quality and consistency, as well as its innovation. The mint produces both investment-grade silver bullion products and a growing array of numismatic options, including these new Biblical Silver Coins.

Buying Biblical Silver Coins from JM Bullion

If you have any questions about the Biblical Silver Coin Series, JM Bullion customer service associates are available to help answer those inquiries. You can connect with us on the phone at 800-276-6508, chat with us live online, or simply send us an email with your inquiries.