Most collectors will be well aware of the Gibraltar ‘Hercules’ two pound coins. They are the stuff of legend (quite literally considering they are based on the Grecian hero of old) and are also highly sought-after. There are twelve coins in the ‘Labours of Hercules’ series and these are –
‘The Nemean Lion’ (1997)
‘The Lernean Hydra’ (1998)
‘The Ceryneian Hind’ (1998)
‘The Erymanthian Boar’ (1998)
‘The Augean Stables’ (1999)
‘Hercules and the Cretan Bull’ (1999)
‘Hercules and the Stymphalian Birds’ (1999)
‘Hercules and the Mares of Diomedes’ (1999)
‘The Girdle of Hippolyta’ (2000)
‘The Cattle of Geryon’ (2000)
‘The Apples of the Hesperides’ (2000)
‘Hercules and the Cerberus’ (2000)
Of course, you will be interested in the mintages of each of these. Well….. so are all other collectors. Problem here is that Gibraltar, along with most other territories, are super-duper hush-hush with their numbers.
Therefore, no-one actually knows how many there are of each design. In fact, the Isle of Man are so guarded about mintage figures that, once when asked about them, they said it would be impossible to release any as it posed a ‘security risk’. Lol. A bit OTT I think…..
However….. word on the street is that each design is around 2,000 in mintage 😉 Which would also tie in with the other rumour amongst coinies….. the re-released series from 2020 has a lower mintage than the original coins. Yes, that’s right; in 2020 Pobjoy released all twelve designs again.
In one way this was good as people had a chance of getting them all (the originals, if you hadn’t already guessed, are much like rocking horse doo-dah now).
Problem was that they were snaffled within minutes of going on sale and then put on eBay for like six times the price. Oh, there was also the other slight issue that the Pobjoy site is total pants and locks up proper fast if it has more than half a dozen people using it at the same time…..
The original releases were all circulating coins. The re-mints (released in 2020) were not. The only way people could get them was to purchase from Pobjoy or on the secondary market.
It is also worth noting there was a right old cock-up with one particular design, ‘Hercules and the Mares of Diomedes’…… The die in the minting machine wore out faster than expected and had to be replaced. And someone (in their infinite wisdom) decided to use a proof die.
This resulted in some of this design looking as it should and some having a ‘frosted’ appearance. Needless to say, this caused an additional stir and also meant that prices went silly for this particular design. Just how many of each variation is out there is unclear, but the word around the campfire is that it is pretty much 50/50. If this is true, it means there is a super-low number of each…..
The ‘Labours of Hercules’ really is a beautiful set of coins, there is no doubt about it. But it is also something reserved for the more serious collector.
Concerning the 2020 re-releases, you can expect to pay between £60 and £80 for each (try doubling that for a frosted ‘Mares’). It’s a lot of money. Until you consider the original releases which will sell for three times the above prices.
Perhaps there was a thirteenth (unlucky for some) task for Hercules – to separate the men from the boys in the numismatistical world. If so, then he has also come out of this one with full marks.
© Article and images (except where stated) copyright Mik Smith 2022
MAIN IMAGE – Hercules Drawing by Felix Freydzon
reblogged from saatchiart.com
Fonted by Mik
I missed out on these myself and now wish I’d got a set!