In the Iron Age of Europe, the early Celts—who came from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany—created a polytheistic mythology and religion. This folklore of the Celtic people spanned for centuries before much of it was lost with the rise of Christianity. Even so, several characters you may already know have origins in Celtic mythology.
Provident is happy to offer the Celtic Lore series of silver rounds, which contains five designs featuring some of these popular characters. The original artwork was rendered in full color by world-renowned artist and illustrator Howard David Johnson, and further brought to life by master sculptor Luigi Badia. Each design will be available as a one ounce and five ounce round, in proof, antiqued, and colorized finishes. These limited edition mythic rounds are produced by the Osborne Mint, America’s oldest private mint, in partnership with Anonymous Mint.
Merlin
The first round in the Celtic Lore series features the famous wizard who has become well loved throughout pop culture. Merlin originated as a Welsh wizard in the Arthurian legends written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136. He was birthed by a mortal woman and sired by an incubus, giving him supernatural powers that led him to become a wizard and dragon master. The character Merlin is based on an earlier historical figure known as Myrrdin, who went mad and fled civilization after witnessing the horrors of war. Myrddin settled for a simpler life in the woods and received the gift of prophecy.
Morrigan
The Morrigan, known as the Queen of Battles, is the Celtic goddess of war, death, sovereignty, fertility, cattle, and crops. She is often pictured amongst crows and can shapeshift into a crow as well, commonly seen flying over battlefields. This tripartite battle goddess could also split into three sections known as Nemain, Macha, and Badb, each representing a different aspect of combat. The Morrigan is one of the main deities from the Tuatha De Danann (Tribe of the Gods), a mythological race of supernatural gods in ancient Ireland.
Welsh Red Dragon
Featured in the early legends of Merlin, the Welsh Red Dragon was frequently seen on the battle flags of King Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. The beast eventually became the national symbol of Wales, and can be found on the third coin in the Queen’s Beasts 10-coin series. The red dragon and white dragon are symbolistic of the struggles between Wales and England.
Cernunnos
Known as Lord of the Wild Things, this Celtic antlered god is associated with fertility, life, wealth, and animals. Cernunnos is often pictured sitting cross legged with a snake in his hand and a stag nearby. He wears a golden torc around his neck to represent wealth, along with carrying a coin-filled purse.
Banshee
This Irish female spirit is a foreteller of death. Mythology tells of her wailing to herald the coming of death. In some interpretations, the banshee is depicted as an old, disheveled hag. In other interpretations, such as ours, she is depicted as a young, beautiful woman with thick, billowing hair.
The Shared Reverse
Each design in the Celtic Lore series shares a common reverse that showcases Celtic knot work. These interlacing patterns of unbroken, endless knots are used extensively in Celtic artwork. Within the interwoven cords in this design, you’ll also find two wolf heads peering inwards from the outer rim of the round. The reverse also displays the name of the series, along with the weight and purity of each round.
We’re very excited to bring this mythical series to you! Rounds will be sequentially released with approximately six to eight weeks between each design. We’ll be sure to announce each release on our blog, on our website banner, and in our email newsletter.
Which design are you anxious to get your hands on?
Do you offer the five 1 oz Celtic Lore coins in Proof state? If so, can they be purchased as a set or do they need to be purchased individually? Do you make a set of Celtic Beasts? If so, do you make the 1oz Proof of these coins. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Hope to hear from you soon.
Hi Jim,
We do offer the Celtic Lore rounds with a proof finish. Visit the Celtic Lore page, and you’ll find them listed there. Right now, we don’t offer sets, but it’s possible that sets might be available in the future. As of right now, we do not have a Celtic Beasts series.
When will the last 2 coins come out?
ordered the first 3 in antique. need the last 2 to complete. also got the Nordic creatures, love them.
Hi there,
The last two Celtic Lore rounds will be available shortly, probably within a few weeks. We have received our samples and are preparing to make them available to our customers. So glad to hear you’re enjoying these silver rounds!
Why can’t you list all of the coins in the series so we can add them to our “Alerts”? You listed all of the Four Horse Men coins in the series, why can’t you do the same for the Celtic Lore series?
Hi Tom,
4H is a Provident original series, meaning we have complete control of the design/production process from start to finish. It was our decision to list the entire series at once. Celtic Lore comes from the Osborne Mint, and we don’t necessarily get product samples or final images early enough to list them all at once. However, we make every effort to introduce new items in a series on our blog, social media accounts, website banners, and in our email newsletter. We hope you’ll stick around to catch the rest of the series. Thanks for your patience.
The product description for the Merlin 5 ounce round states that this item will arrive in a Provident Metals box. The one I received came in a capsule wrapped in protective paper with the certificate but no box.
Hi Robert,
We just received the logo boxes last week and updated the product description accordingly. Any orders fulfilled beforehand did not come with these brand new boxes. If you have any concerns, feel free to contact our customer service department.
Will I receive the boxes for the 2 Merlin 5 ounce coins I have in my possession or do I need to order them?
Robert, please contact our customer service team for next steps. Thanks!
Will there be a box and display case for all 5 1 oz rounds?
There will not be a customized display box for this series. However, if you’ve been collecting the Four Horsemen series, we highly recommend picking up a box asap because they’re nearly sold out.
On a related note, will these also be released in a 5 round set once all designs are revealed like the recent release of the Nordic Creatures sets? Thanks
There’s a strong likelihood of that happening later on, depending on remaining supply.
I got the Nordic Creatures now the Celtic Lore- Bring in on PMC.
Thanks for being an excellent customer, Marvin!
Will a 1 oz. piece without box and documentation come available for each? About how long after a release with it follow? Thank you.
Hi Jan,
At this time, we’re not planning to release the rounds without the box and certificate of authenticity. Rounds with intricate designs like this appeal primarily to collectors, so we make every effort to package them as collector items. Thank you for your interest.
This sounds awesome!!
Glad you think so! We’re excited to reveal the next designs.