Movies on World Coins: A Wide Range of Choices

Movies on World Coins: A Wide Range of Choices

In recent years a number of world mints have released an extensive range of coins that focus on movies from those that deal with comic book superheroes and animated Disney characters to others about classic films and more recent popular movies.

These issues, which appeal to both coin collectors and fans of the films themselves, have greatly expanded the range of subjects depicted on modern world coins.  They have also exposed fans of popular films to the exciting world of modern numismatics and likely created new collectors along the way.

MCM carries a wide and expanding range of these coins for our customers. 

Black Panther 

One of the most exciting new releases is the 2018 Tuvalu Black Panther coin, which is the third coin in a series on Marvel characters produced by the Perth Mint in Australia that follows the Spiderman and Thor coins. The fourth release features the Proof version of the Black Panther coin.

The coin shows the title character, also known as T’Challa, who is the protector of the fictional African country of Wakanda, wearing his characteristic helmet and armor with a spiked collar. 

Black Panther first appeared in a 1966 Marvel comic by Jack Lee and Stan Kirby, who created many of the famous Marvel characters like the Hulk and the Fantastic Four. 

The film, which premiered in late January in Los Angeles and opened nationwide in the middle of February, has received a lot of critical acclaim.  And because it is the first major superhero film who is black and whose cast is black, the film has been hailed as a defining cultural moment.

MCM offers a range of ways to collect the new coin from single raw pieces to graded coins with various special labels. 

Planet of the Apes

Another interesting new coin series arriving at MCM is the Perth Mint’s Planet of the Apes 50^th Anniversary coins, which were launched in February by the Mint.

The first of a new series, the new 1 oz. silver Proof coin celebrates the groundbreaking film’s golden anniversary with an issue limited to 5,000 pieces. The reverse design shows a close-up of the face of an ape that appeared on the original poster for the first movie in 1968 along with adobe-like structures of the arid Ape City in the foreground.

Raw examples will come packaged in a clear acrylic case and a numbered certificate of authenticity, and we will also have graded examples.

A 2-oz. antique silver coin will be the second release in this series with more coming later.

Harry Potter 

MCM’s movie coins also focus on the very popular Harry Potter film franchise based on the series of fantasy novels by British author J.K. Rowling.  These books follow the adventures of the main character, who is a wizard, and his friends.

Potter was first depicted on a 2001 Isle of Man non-circulating copper-nickel crown and more recently on the 2016 Cook Islands coin that celebrate “The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” whose reverse design features a stylized eagle with the American flag on it for the Magical Congress of the United States of America on a gilt proof coin. 

That coin is expected to be followed by another Harry Potter-themed series about the School Crests for the Houses, which is in the works and will feature Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.

Other superheroes

Some of the other film-related world coins we carry include several coins about Marvel character Spiderman, which include the Tuvalu series from Perth; the Cook Islands silver and gold issues designed by former U.S. Mint chief engraver John Mercanti; and colored Fiji coins that lights up.

The other coin in the Tuvalu series celebrates Marvel superhero Thor, which also have a mintage limit of 50,000 coins, and depict the character wearing his usual winged helmet with lightning bolts nearby.  Though options for this coin are sold out, many are still in stock. 

Captain America, another of the most iconic and popular Marvel superhero characters, is depicted on several coins from Fiji such as the 2016 colored one that lights up and the 2016 2-oz. domed, colored coin, and a third series from 2017. 

We also have the 2016 Fiji 2-oz., colored coin with a limited mintage of just 3,000 coins that depicts “The Dark Knight,” the older Batman character who was forced out of retirement to fight crime in a dystopian Gotham City, in both raw and graded examples. 

Classic and modern films

Sherlock Holmes is the subject of 2-coin set of 1-oz. silver Proof coins that depict Holmes and his companion Doctor Watson, which is available in its artistic original packaging. 

Then there are coins for one of the greatest and most influential classic films ever, the Wizard of Oz, released in 1939, including the 2017 Cook Islands 2-oz., colored Yellow Brick Road coin that depicts the famous ruby slippers of the main character, Dorothy. 

The modern film Ghostbusters, released in 1984, is the subject of a 2017 colored uncirculated issue from Tuvalu made by the Perth Mint that shows the title characters in action as they fight ghosts. 

The more recent space-themed blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy, is featured on a series of three colored Proof coins for the Cook Islands that depict the three characters, Star-Lord, Rocket, and Drax and which is still in stock.

Animated films

Finally, if animated films from Disney are your preference, we have a wide assortment of coins depicting the popular Cars series plus all your favorite Disney characters from Mickey Mouse to Princess Mulan and others featured on almost 90 coins.

Also keep in mind that the Perth Mint recently announced a major deal with Warner Brothers to produce a series of commemorative coins over the next three years that will feature characters such as Scooby Doo, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and many others.