Spanish Gold Coins
With major economies in decline and inflation devaluing currencies, it is no surprise that gold is becoming increasingly popular with investors. Many countries that until recently only rarely issued gold coins have increased their production and this trend can be expected to continue. Even though Spanish gold coins were very important in history, the modern country of Spain has until recently not made headlines for the issuance of gold bullion coins.
That changed a few years ago though. In late 2021, Spain produced 12,000 gold coins of 99.99% purity that depict the head of an Iberian lynx on their reverse side. These 1 oz Spanish gold coins were the first bullion coins that Spain’s national mint, the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre, had ever produced. The following year, Spain then issued 50,000 fractional 1/10 oz gold bullion coins with that same motif of an Iberian lynx. The obverse side of both coin issues depicts two crowned globes floating on the sea between the two columns of Hercules around which banners with the motto “PLUS ULTRA” are wrapped.
these 1 oz Spanish Bull coins were the first Spanish gold coins that were issued with a reverse proof finish
These were not the only Spanish gold coins that were issued in 2022 though. A total of 15,000 gold coins of 1 oz were minted that same year. These 99.99% pure gold coins bear a different design on the reverse, the image of a fighting bull such as the ones that can be seen when visiting a bull fight in Spain. What’s more, whereas the two Iberian lynx gold coins were issued with a regular brilliant uncirculated finish, the Spanish Bull coins have a reverse proof finish.
Just like with the Iberian lynx gold coins, Spain followed up the 2022 release of the 1 oz Spanish Bull gold coins with a release of 50,000 fractional 1/10 oz pieces with the same design this year. It seems that this newest coin issue includes both reverse proof coins as well as regular brilliant uncirculated coins. With the price of gold increasing, Spain’s bullion program can be expected to grow even more in the coming years but whether it will ever come close to challenge Europe’s leading mints which are undoubtedly the British Royal Mint as well as the Austrian Mint remains to be seen.
