kimchi

I often thought Brits were better value than sovereigns although there's a lot of value to liquidate in a Brit if you just fancy raising funds to re-carpet the spare room. That said I'm not too fussy about quarter ounce premiums as even a sovereign purchased early last year has increased its value noticeably. Also the initial outlay of Brits puts me off. And the convenience of liquidating sovereigns is presently around the value bracket I'm comfortable trading within. 
🙂 Nope, despite premiums I like my gold in bite sized chunks that I can trade with. Brits or any bar over 10 grams and I'm oot. 

ABOUT THIS POST
I began collecting Somalian Silver Elephants quite early in my stacking journey. My son is obsessed with elephants and I thought it would be nice to have a portion of my stack set aside specifically to be handed over to him. Over the past 12 months, I've scoured the internet, this forum etc. to better understand the series and, of course, in the hopes of completing the full date run. [Please check out my signature for details of which coins I'm still looking for]
 
I couldn't find anywhere that catalogued the full series, so in the spirit of sharing what I've learned, I wanted to put together a quick guide to this collection of coins for anyone else that may be interested in them.
Disclaimer:  I'm no expert and I don't claim that this is list is the authority on the matter. It's just info I've collected from various sources and I won't pretend that I've verified all the details independently. I would encourage you to do your own research before taking my findings as gospel.
There's no single source of the truth when it comes to mintage numbers. Most conventional wisdom suggests that the first 5 years (2004 - 2008) had only around 5000 units produced, though Numista does have some higher amounts listed. 
I'll continue to research but in the meantime, the info should be treated as a guesstimate. 
 
HISTORY
The Somalian Elephant - or "African Wildlife Elephant" has a denomination of 100 Somali Republic Shillings.
2023 marks the 20th anniversary of this coin in its current form, having been first minted in 2004. It’s roots though, trace even farther back, to the Zambia Elephant coin, minted between 1999 - 2003 and with a denomination of 5000 Kwacha.
It is produced by the Bavarian State Mint.
It has become one of the most popular 1oz silver bullion coins for collectors and has spawned a range of alternate designs and versions, beginning in 2012 with the introduction of privy marks.
2016 saw the first minting of the Platinum Somalia Elephant. And it wasn't until 2017 that this iconic coin became available in fractional silver units.
Over the years, many different variations have been minted as part of specific annual productions, notably, ‘colourised’ and ‘antiqued’ finishes; collectors sets and bundles and even a seasonal Christmas snow-globe in 2023.
 
A note on GOLD:  I've found the information on the Gold Somalian Elephant coins to be sketchy at best and I'll try and collate and improve what I know periodically. So far, it would seem that fractionals - including 1/50th - have been available from 2004. However, the earliest 1oz Gold Elephant coin I've been able to track down so far was 2010 minting.
 
 
The Zambia Elephant  (1999 - 2003)
Mintage thought to be only c.5000 for each year of production.
 

 

 

 

Portrait of QEll used on reverse

Note the change in artistic direction. Very much emblematic of the design synonymous with the Somalian Elephant that this range would transition to from 2004.
 
 
The Somalia Elephant  (2004 - present)
 

Mintage: 5000
 

Mintage: 5000 (Numista: 25000)
 

Mintage: 10000 (Numista 20000)

Mintage:  5000

Mintage: 5000

Mintage: 130,000

A 2010 version also exists that features the same obverse as the 2009 coin. This "mule" version has become highly collectible. 

Mintage: 170,000

Mintage: 80000

Mintage: 130,000

Mintage: 226,206

 
The 2015 version showing the 'Ag' overstamped on the original error of 'Au'.
Some 1500 were minted in error. However 1000 were destroyed by the mint leaving only approximately 500 known to have entered circulation. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 
 
FNF.
 
I don't know why the image of the 2005 version is repeated here. I can't delete it. So unlike the trees and foliage depicted, it won't leave!
 

Looking to up your photography game by moving from a mobile phone to a 'real' camera?  Or do you already have a camera, but need a macro lens to take close-up photographs of your coins?
Let’s explain what a macro lens is and what to look for when choosing one for coin photography.  I will go into a lot of detail, but I am assuming that if you are thinking of buying a macro lens for a camera, you are OK with that.
Out of scope: I am not going to cover the type of macro lens that you clip onto a mobile phone, although many of the principles are the same.  I am also not going to cover adapter lenses that you fit to the front of normal lenses to make them focus closer.
What is a macro lens?
A macro lens is designed to focus on things very close; much closer than normal lenses can.  Macro lenses have the same ‘magnification’ as normal lenses, e.g. a 100mm macro lens will be the same amount of ‘zoomed in’ as a 100mm non-macro lens.  The difference is that the macro lens will be able to focus on something about 20cm away, whereas the non-macro lens will need to be much further away, probably 1-2 metres minimum.
Things to look for
In decreasing order of importance, these are factors or specifications you should look for when choosing a macro lens.  The first ones are highly relevant to making a good macro lens, and some things that are less so.
Reproduction ratio
The most important statistic.  Most ‘proper’ macro lenses will allow you to get close enough to a subject that the image of that subject projected through the lens and onto the camera’s sensor is the same size as the subject.  This is called a reproduction ratio of 1:1.
For example, with a 1:1 lens a 22mm sovereign, at closest distance, will appear as 22mm on the sensor.  Since a full-frame camera sensor is just 24x36mm, that's a perfect fit and a big image when viewed on a monitor.
To make the image smaller, you just move away from the subject.  But you can’t make it bigger, because moving closer would move within the minimum distance the lens will focus.
With lenses that have a lower ratio, e.g. 1:2, it just means they can’t focus as close to the subject, making the resultant image smaller and the photography more cumbersome.  You definitely would not want to use a 150mm lens with a 1:3 ratio, as you would need to be over a metre away from the coin.  Some manufacturers still call these ‘macro lenses’ despite not reaching 1:1 ratio.
At the other end of the scale, there are specialist ‘super macro’ lenses that have a ratio of 2:1 or even higher.  They achieve this by allowing an even closer minimum distance.  These are probably not to be recommended to anyone other than professional photographers, as they come with their own set of limitations and peculiarities.
Considering that, to take a photo of a 1oz coin, you will already need to be further away than minimum distance for a 1:1 lens just to fit it on the sensor, going even higher is just unnecessary.
Sharpness
Obviously you want a lens that is sharp.  This is especially true for macro photography, where you are attempting to reproduce tiny details.  It is also especially true if your camera’s sensor has a lot of pixels, say more than about 10 million.
Sharpness is a factor of the design and build quality of the lens.  This is very much a “get what you pay for” factor.  There is information online where sharpness has been scientifically measured.  You can also read reviews that will tell you if a lens is sharp, and at what aperture it is sharpest.  Typically, the optimum aperture is around twice the widest aperture.
Focal length
As the lens gets longer, the minimum distance extends.  So a longer focal length does not lead to a large image - what you gain in ‘zoom’ you lose in distance.
The main consideration here is convenience.  If you have a longer macro lens, e.g. 150mm, your distance to the coin will need to be about 30cm or more.  That can start to get awkward if you want to photograph downwards onto a table or desk.
However, the focal length will probably not make a significant difference to the appearance of coin photographs.  Just the convenience of taking them.
Longer focal length macro lenses, >100mm, are useful for nature photography, where you don’t want to get too close to the subject because it might fly away (or attack you).  This is unlikely to be a concern with coins.
But you can go too short.  Macro lenses <60mm are light and cheaper, but you start to have other practical problems.  You need to be so close to the subject that you can block the light, and you may not be able to use axial lighting because there isn't room.
Personally, I think the sweet spot for coin photography would be 60-100mm.
If you are going to use the lens for something other than macro photography, then obviously the focal length may factor more  into your decision.  Shorter lenses will be better for street, architecture and landscapes.  Longer lenses for sport, wildlife and portrait.
If all other things are equal, typically the longer the lens, the more expensive it is.
Smallest aperture
Lenses often have an aperture that will go down to f/20 or f/24.  Macro lenses often will go to f/32 or more.  This increases the depth of field, keeping more things in focus.  The issue though is that when you go beyond about f/16, you will begin to get noticeable softening of the image because the laws of physics take over and diffraction happens.
Diaphragm
The element inside the lens that varies the aperture to let more or less light through, is called the diaphragm.  The number of leaves in the diaphragm can be relevant.  If the diaphragm has a large number of leaves or elements (say above 8), the hole it makes will be more circular.  This leads to smoother out-of-focus backgrounds (and foregrounds) called bokeh.  It’s a subjective thing that sometimes matters, but is largely irrelevant for coins.
Image stabilisation
A very useful feature in any lens, to reduce handheld blur.  But for a setup that will spend its life clamped down on a tripod, it is irrelevant.  Of course, if you might use your lens for other things, it could be very handy.
Auto-focus
An area where some of the biggest advances in both lenses and cameras have been made over the last decade or so, is in the speed and accuracy of auto-focus systems.
Fortunately for us, it doesn’t matter, because we will be manually focusing with macro photography, with the possible exception of an automatic focus-stacking process.  Either way, the speed and accuracy of auto-focus is irrelevant.  In fact some macro lenses are manual focus only, in order to reduce cost and give a very smooth feel to the focusing ring, for fine adjustments.
Consider that your depth of field is often less than 1mm.  That is not something a camera’s auto-focus system can reliably handle.
Widest aperture
The main factor that determines how much a lens costs, is its widest aperture.  People spend a lot of money getting very wide aperture lenses, with f/1.2 or greater.  Fortunately for us, this is almost completely irrelevant, since we will be taking macro photos with a fairly narrow aperture probably between f/8 and f/16.
Zoom (variable focal length)
Most lenses for general-purpose use are ‘zoom lenses’.  They allow you to zoom in and out of a subject.  A typical example would be a 24-70mm lens.  The ability to zoom is not useful for macro photography, since as discussed earlier, increasing the focal length simply increases the minimum distance, so the net effect would be the same.  It also adds cost to the lens and reduces the quality (e.g. sharpness).
A true macro lens will normally be a fixed focal length, or ‘prime’, lens.
How much to spend?
The lens is more important than the camera body.  <= Remember this!
This is something that people who are not familiar with interchangeable-lens cameras may not be used to.  Put it another way.  A camera body will last you somewhere between 3 and 10 years.  The more features and technology you want, and the more you use it, the shorter its lifespan.  A lens can easily last 20+ years, if you don’t abuse it.  Where do you think your money should go?
Personal experience:  I have owned and replaced 4 camera bodies in 18 years; that's pretty slow.  I am still using the first lens I ever bought, and have never replaced any.
Lenses are physical, mechanical things.  Their quality is determined by optics and the craftsmanship that went into them.  Sure, new features occasionally pop up, like image stabilisation and faster auto-focus.  But the basic operation of a lens hardly changes between generations.  That is definitely not true for camera bodies, which are basically akin to computers or mobile phones; electronics that constantly evolve.
First-party lenses will cost you a lot more.  For example, Canon lenses for Canon cameras.  Nikon lenses for Nikon cameras.  Third-party lenses, e.g. Sigma, Tamron and Tokina, are much better bang-for-the-buck, and are usually close to if not identical in quality.
Rule of thumb.  If you are starting out buying a camera and lens, consider the total price.  If you are just buying one lens, spend ⅓ to ½ of your budget on the lens.  If you are buying 2 lenses, then spend at least ½ of your budget on lenses.

Finally got the final pieces to my Black Panther puzzle! As some of you may know I’m a Black Panther fan and I couldn’t decide whether to grade my collection or keep them raw so…I got two of each and did both! The one(s) that evaded me was the 2012 Marvel Civil War coin which is very expensive to obtain in PF70 and very difficult to find raw however my patience paid off and bought them from a guy who wanted to get rid of them as they were a present from his ex 😂😂😂
These will go away and be passed onto my kids and kept in the family.
Always got to give a shoutout to @StBeesSilver for my awesome handmade Black Panther masks. If you want one or anything else like this give him a shout 🫡
 

I have one. Not really looking to sell at the moment and happy to hold, but you are always welcome to make me an offer if no-one else comes through

It's certainly not the prettiest of bars, and I absolutely understand the disappointment of receiving two bad condition items in your first purchase, even if you expected bullion (which they both are).
Metalor are desirable and always popular 1kg bars, I doubt the condition will make much difference at all to the price when and if you sell
That said, I've never seen a 'new' one like that, so depending on where you bought it from, if you feel like it no harm in phoning them up and saying it's not the 'new' or even 'as new' bar you were expecting based on their listing photo and description etc, maybe they'll give you a bit of credit or something. Otherwise I'd just accept it as having 'character'

He stated that the Beasts present in the Queen serie wouldn't be duplicated, yet, the only 2 released at present are Lion and Yale, which were present in the Queen's Beasts and deny the claim, whereas out of the 2 skipped one was the Panther of Seymour, which is unique to the Tudor serie; reality doesn't match the statement.
I didn't post it as information, I post because I am appalled by the inaccuracy offered by Royal Mint on the topic. In my opinion he has no idea what he is talking about and I wouldn't take him seriously, he is probably responding with something he half heard and mixed up. Wish they would just respond with something clear, at least I'd know what to budget for...

That’s awesome!!!!!  
 
 

Congratulations @dicker! 🥳 

I've been noticing the lack of people's attention span for years now, and all joking aside, I really did notice it when I first started to put out these long musical pieces.  That kind of stuff was what I grew up with in the 70s when one song could take up the entire side of an LP and lots of people loved it back then. I still love listening to longer epic pieces of music and am particularly partial in my old age to certain operas like The Magic Flute for example which is a three hour extravaganza in German with elements of colloquial Austrian dialect chucked in - a real challenge !   Nowadays if a song is longer than two minutes and if it contains any real instruments rather than a load of computer generated c**p and a robotic repetitious lyric line it's too complicated for most of the simpletons out there.
With regard to ticktock and instagram I'm afraid I've led a very sheltered life and have never once looked at them..😅  I don't regret it!

Why do you you think platforms like instagram, tick-tock, YouTube-shorts have been so popular, most people who use them need the 1000’s of hits of dopamine they get daily from these tiny rewards. 
 
try and have a conversation with someone under 30, ask them about themselves etc it’s a very short conversation.  The species is loosing the art of having real world social interactions. 
 
I still try and talk to people over the phone where I can instead of PM’s and emails as I find you learn more about the person you are communicating with. 

Same thing happened with decimalisation, or so I'm told.

Thats the idea, also to only give the population a 2 minute short term memory with constant "breaking news" and 1000's of  notifications, most people who live like this have almost zero mid-long term memory.  No one will ever question what happened the week before.  

Congratulations to @JoeBlack for his prediction of $23.10  1 oz will be heading your way.

£1589 are we in a dip yet @Paul 🤷‍♂️

Annoying electronic voice, yes.
 
At 7'30'' it shows a gold eagle with a tungsten slug inside.
I guess this one would fool the old Sigma easily - too thick gold casing. Certainly not microns..
 
 

No mate, it's absolutely right that there is no editing allowed, it would be impossible to follow and it's in the rules! I apologise once again for confusing things, I didn't read properly (and wasn't qualified anyway as we' haven't traded yet)!
It's a fantastic giveaway you're doing, good luck to all, and I look forward to trading with you myself in the future!

Sorry Kimchi. It would be difficult to keep on top of competition if people started editing. Being you are so gracious in your disqualification I  will take your entry into the bonus 1oz at $20.23.
Good luck. If you are 100% correct, you deserve the 1oz.

Quite right buddy, I took a third decimal place off because I thought $20.233 looked odd, sorry wasn't trying to cheat! I was just entering for the fun of it as I haven't traded with you yet so couldn't have won anyway
Good luck everyone!

Sell them, cash in on the premium and then buy standard bullion sovs 

UBS’s bid is 0.26 per share, where as CS is trading at 2.0 ish.  An 87percent discount to the last traded price on Friday evening.
What does this tell us?
- UBS think CS are in a bigger mess than the market knows
- If a deal doesn’t go through ahead of market opening, trading could be pretty volatile….money to be make here trading but you need nuts the size of basket balls to trade CS over the next few days.
What will this do to Gold in GBP?  Open in 7.5 hours will give some direction I guess. 
 
My guess is gold hitting GBP1645

To make things more interesting, if any prediction is spot on 100% to the cent, I will award an extra 1oz bonus. 
The members (UK based)who posted their prediction who were not technically allowed to enter will be allowed to win this bonus 1oz only.
Good luck to @Mtaybar @Petra @JoeBlack @Solachesis @andrewse @Domo @Mrpound @gji25 @ArgentSmith @Arganto @JamesH
Bonus only @GrahamDiamond @HerefordBullyun @KleinerVogel
Sorry @kimchi you edited your post thus disqualified. Rules are rules.

After the last few years we've got to have something to look forward to

After the last few years we've got to have something to look forward to

Silver is up about 8.5% today.