Since 2009 Kazakhstan has produced a bullion coin called the “Irbis” (snow leopard). They were made in silver (1oz, 2oz, 5oz, and 10oz) and gold (1/10 oz, ¼ oz, ½ oz, 1 oz, 2 oz, 5 oz). Not all years were covered. As far as I can tell, silver versions were made in 2009-2012, 2014-2016, and 2020-2023. Gold versions were made in 2009, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The design was fairly consistent besides switching out Cyrillic letters for the Kazakh alphabet in 2020. The typical bullion version looks prooflike some years while others are more of a standard business strike look. Proofs were made for some years as well. Starting in 2023, the mint decided to rebrand their bullion coin and go with a new design. They chose the popular Kokbori-the first coin from the totem animals series that began in 2018. The 2023 saw some small mintages. The bullion numbers are not published but the silver proof 1 oz was only 100 total pieces and the gold proof 1/10 oz was 40 total. With such small mintages, prices have been high and I was not able to pick any up. Fortunately 2024 provided a better opportunity. The bullion examples are more readily available (I paid $57 for a 1 oz silver-well over spot but more reasonable than the $100+ for the 2023). The proofs are also more attainable. The 1 oz silver has a mintage of 640 and can be found for under $200 (compared to $900+ for the 2023). An interesting addition to the proof coin is a hologram feature which can be seen when you rotate the coin under light. While this is not your typical bullion investment (nor would I be recommending these for stacking purposes), it is a fun and interesting item to collect from a country you typically don’t hear from (unless yours truly is posting about it ). Below are some images (Gold and Silver Kokbori proofs images from the Kazakhstan Mint's press release followed by several silver and gold Irbis images from Numista):
And here are my pictures of the proof and bullion. You can somewhat see the hologram on the proof. Note that the proof comes in a box with COA (not pictured) while the bullion is just in the capsule.
The coin that inspired this bullion design along with my thread on it: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/this-caught-my-eye.331132/
Some great looking designs for sure but too pricey for my empty pockets, the link is for 1/10th! Silver isn't too bad. https://www.ebay.com/itm/204818737386?_nkw=KAZAKHSTAN+gold+coin&itmmeta=01J5KN53BXBSPF951XFNX4CTAA&hash=item2fb025e8ea:g:4V4AAOSwKqBmYIe9&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx+KZ9MfhVJKnQNTxj5kmTULBKVcth6i8FU+dEJhhxr88gHatd7Xd7JfGFeyZ+CEkG9Meq20+Ddju9cDYbM0TJsuPQl+4D7A6xeXX32HW49LxSo579IvI21imN1yhWer8YX3Qube6a8XQk1+V9dN3Kzz9d3UAkGBSE1eCgR7gOuuIRHltqVK30xBqxZxowNfM5Afc8DYjc2kJezAwSei9oMkhUw2VS5bB5C6YRHyGbXSK+vtQmjSRTSxY7tX6qRKu1SGAHPaPAi60=|tkp:Bk9SR4K2lPWsZA
That listing I have seen for several months now. It's from a big seller in Italy but I'm not sure exactly what he is selling. He says it is a proof from 2023 (the low mintage year with only 40 1/10 oz gold proofs made) and his price is well below the other listings. However, he says the mintage is unlimited. So my guess is that he might actually be selling the bullion business strike version (that is in a box like the proof coin). If that is the case, then the price is a bit too high.
Those are nice! I really appreciate those holographic touches. I only know Kazakhstan from a singer there named Dimash!
Yeah that's a super low mintage for sure, the designs will spark interest for sure especially the gold snow leopard!
I like the hologram and also think it's well done. As far as the singer, that is a cool association. I think the most common thing people know Kazakhstan for is the Borat movie (to the chagrin of the country).
The snow leopard was nice too but they have officially moved on from it. I would guess someone who notices the series might still want an example of both the old design (leopard) and new design (wolf).
