5 oz Biblical Silver Coin

The 5 oz Scottsdale Mint Biblical Silver Coin

The 5 oz Biblical coin is a variant within the Scottsdale Mint's ambitious Biblical Series (2015-2024), which adapted 60 of Gustave Dore's 19th-century wood engravings of Biblical scenes into high-relief silver coins. The standard format for the series is 2 oz at .999 fineness; the 5 oz version represents a larger-format release of select designs with even lower mintages than the already-scarce 2 oz editions (limited to 1,499 pieces each).

At .9999 fine silver (four nines), the 5 oz Biblical coin achieves a higher purity than the standard 2 oz format's .999. This positions it as a premium collector piece within an already premium-oriented series. The high-relief antique finish that defines the Biblical Series is rendered with greater depth and detail at the 5 oz diameter, making the sculptural quality of Novissimo's adaptations from Dore's engravings more pronounced.

The series is issued as legal tender in Niue (a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand), which provides a nominal face value and formal issuing authority. The coins trade entirely on their silver content and collector premiums rather than their face value.

This is unambiguously a collector product rather than a pure bullion investment. The combination of extremely low mintage, high-relief antique finish, specific artistic subject matter, and premium packaging positions the 5 oz Biblical firmly in the numismatic-bullion crossover space. Buyers are paying for the art, the scarcity, and the Scottsdale Mint's production quality alongside the silver content.

5 oz Biblical Series Specifications

The antique finish gives these coins an aged, archaeological appearance, deliberately evoking the look of ancient medallions rather than modern bullion. The rimless design is unusual for coins; there is no raised border, which allows the sculptural relief to extend to the coin's full edge. Each coin carries an individual serial number stamped on the edge.

The standard 2 oz coins in the series have a diameter of 39mm. The 5 oz versions increase the diameter proportionally, though exact measurements for the 5 oz format vary by specific release. The coins ship in individual packaging with certificates of authenticity from Scottsdale Mint.

Gustave Dore's Biblical Art on Silver

The Biblical Series draws exclusively from the wood engravings created by Paul Gustave Dore (1832-1883) between 1866 and 1870 for his illustrated French Bible (La Grande Bible de Tours). Dore produced 241 engravings total: 139 from the Old Testament and 81 from the New Testament. The coin series selected 60 of these for reproduction across its ten-year run, with six new designs released each year from 2015 through 2024.

Adapting flat 19th-century engravings into three-dimensional high-relief coin designs required substantial artistic reinterpretation. The sculptor D'Almeda Novissimo translated Dore's compositions into sculptural form, maintaining the dramatic use of light and shadow that characterises Dore's original woodcuts while creating the depth needed for the high-relief striking process.

Dore himself was one of the most prolific illustrators of the Victorian era, producing thousands of engravings for works including Dante's Divine Comedy, Cervantes' Don Quixote, and poetry by Edgar Allan Poe. His Biblical illustrations remain his most widely reproduced work.

The 60-coin series, completed in 2024, represents a decade-long commitment from Scottsdale Mint that is unusual in numismatic publishing. At 1,499 pieces per design for the 2 oz standard, the complete series totals 89,940 coins. The 5 oz variants, produced in even smaller numbers for select designs, are among the scarcest modern bullion-adjacent products available. A collector purchasing all 60 standard coins would hold 120 troy ounces of silver in the complete set.

5 oz Biblical vs Other Collector-Bullion Silver Coins

The 5 oz Biblical competes in the collector-bullion crossover space, where premiums above metal value are accepted in exchange for artistic merit, scarcity, and collectibility.

Against the 5 oz Germania Mint Allegories (500 mintage, .9999, completed series): both are private-mint products with very low mintages and no practical legal tender value. The Allegories pairs national personifications in a classically-influenced style; the Biblical renders religious scenes in a 19th-century Romantic style. Both are completed series, which adds to their collector appeal as finite sets.

Against the 5 oz Somali Elephant (annual design change, .999, ongoing production): the Elephant is a more accessible product with higher mintages and lower premiums, positioned closer to mainstream bullion. The Biblical is explicitly premium-oriented with its antique finish and numbered serialisation.

Against generic 5 oz silver coins and bars: the premium differential is substantial. A generic 5 oz bar trades near spot plus 4-7%. The Biblical trades at multiples above spot, with the specific design and condition driving the price. These are entirely different products serving different motivations: one stores metal efficiently, the other combines metal content with artistic and numismatic value.

The Biblical's strongest appeal is to buyers who want meaningful silver holdings in a form that also satisfies collecting instincts. The Dore artwork, the antique finish, the serial numbering, and the decade-long series structure create engagement beyond simple metal accumulation.