This week a set of three coins with an extremely low mintage
and in a rarely used metal came to us. The coins were minted by the
Kingdom of Tonga, an archipelago situated in the southern Pacific Ocean.
The three coins are made of Palladium, and are the first coinage of this metal
from this nation.
The large Hau denomination contains slightly over 2 ounces
of this metal; only 400 of these were minted. The Half Hau is just over
one ounce and has a mintage of 513, while the smaller Quarter Hau (m400 minted)
contains a touch over a half ounce of Palladium. The coins are undated
but were issued in one year only, 1967. They were issued to commemorate
the coronation of King Taufa’ahau IV on July 4, 1967. This king
ruled from 1967-2006.
At first glance, these coins appear copper nickel in color,
but if the weight doesn’t give it away, the edge lettering “HISTORICALLY THE
FIRST PALLADIUM COINAGE” certainly does. Surprisingly, these
ultra-rarities do not have any significant premium over their metal value,
possibly due to the sharp rise in the price of palladium. So this is a
wonderful way to invest in this metal if that is part of your strategy.
It is great to see that real treasures are always around at remarkably great
values. Let’s see what comes in next week.
