Kazakhstan Silver & Tantalum Space Series

This thread will be dedicated to assembling information on the Space Series of bimetallic coins issued by Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan is one of the few countries that has released coins that incorporate tantalum (a rare, hard, blue-gray, lustrous transition metal that is highly corrosion-resistant*). The series started in 2006 and continued through 2015. The coins had several changes throughout the years (including mintage numbers) but the basic theme of space on a bimetallic coin (silver and tantalum) remained constant.





*Quoted from Wikipedia and you can learn more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantalum

*Picture with all coins together from here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/203063290498

 

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Here is a link to all the coins from the National Bank of Kazakhstan:

https://bsbnb.nationalbank.kz/?docid=29&cat_id=145&switch=english

And a few threads I found on cointalk that referenced some of these coins:

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/2006-kazakhstan-500-tenge-space-bimetal-ag-tantalum.25815/

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/kazakhstan-bimetalic-space-coin.32549/

 

Some random links I found interesting are below.

~This is a description of all the coins from an eBay seller in Kazakhstan that had the whole set in one custom box:
http://completesetuncirculated.com/...ce_bi_metal_silver_tantalum_11_coins_set.html

~Here is an auction where all the coins were sold together. It's interesting that they mention it was a set for "VIP's" based on the low COA numbers.

https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=3714&lot=2190

~NGC grades these and this link shows the census report:
https://www.ngccoin.com/census/world/kazakhstan/sc-187/500t/

 

Now onto the coins, starting with the first.

Date of release: 12.28.2006
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 4,000
Notes: The inner disc is made of tantalum while the outer ring is silver

Obverse: This is fairly common among all the coins. The goal of the abstract visual is to symbolize unity between people and the world as well as connect the past and present.
Reverse: Here we have an image of an astronaut in the universe.

~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward.



These websites have some more detail
https://www.topworldcoins.com/kazakhstan-2006-500-tenge-space-space-proof-tantalum-silver-coin

https://www.powercoin.it/en/asia/67...-tantalum-coin-500-tenge-kazakhstan-2006.html

 

Coin #2 in the series - FIRST SPACE SATELLITE OF THE EARTH

Date of release: 05.04.2007
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 4,000
Notes: The inner disc is made of tantalum while the outer ring is silver

Obverse: No major changes compared to the 2006 coin
Reverse: Sputnik orbiting Earth.

Quick Fact: Sputnik was the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union. 2007 was the 50th anniversary of the launch.

~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward.




More info on Sputnik:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1

These websites have some more detail on the coin:
https://www.powercoin.it/en/asia/67...-tantalum-coin-500-tenge-kazakhstan-2007.html

https://www.topworldcoins.com/kazak...of-the-earth-space-proof-tantalum-silver-coin

 

Coin #3 in the series - VOSTOK SPACESHIP

Date of release: 10.18.2008
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 4,000
Notes: The inner disc is made of tantalum while the outer ring is silver. This year has an interesting addition - the moon is made of gold (making this a trimetallic coin).

Obverse: No major changes compared to the 2006 coin
Reverse: The spacecraft Vostok flying over Earth with the moon in the background.

Quick Fact: Vostok 1 is known for the first human spaceflight (April 12, 1961) by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (more on him later).
~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward.


Here is an example of the box and COA for this coin (from a second example that I used to own)



More info on Vostok:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_(spacecraft)

These websites have some more detail on the coin:
https://www.powercoin.it/en/asia/68...-tantalum-coin-500-tenge-kazakhstan-2008.html

https://www.topworldcoins.com/kazak...eship-vostok-space-proof-tantalum-silver-coin

 

More to follow....stay tuned

 

Coin #4 in the series - SOYUZ-APOLLO

Date of release: 04.18.2009
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 4,000
Notes: The inner disc is made of tantalum while the outer ring is silver.

Obverse: No major changes compared to the 2006 coin
Reverse: A rendition of the docking of the two spacecrafts.

Quick Fact: Apollo–Soyuz was the first international space mission, carried out together by the USA and Soviet Union in July 1975.
~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward.


More info on Apollo–Soyuz:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo–Soyuz

This website has some more detail on the coin:
https://www.topworldcoins.com/colle...soyuz-apollo-space-proof-tantalum-silver-coin

 

Coin #5 in the series - LUNOKHOD-1

Date of release: 08.05.2010
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 4,000
Notes: The inner disc is made of tantalum while the outer ring is silver.

Obverse: No major changes compared to the 2006 coin
Reverse: Lunokhod traveling on the moon and taking pictures; the Earth is in the background.

Quick Fact: In 1970, Lunokhod 1 was the first remote controlled robot to freely move across the surface of an astronomical object beyond the Earth.
~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward.



More info on Lunokhod:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunokhod_1

This website has some more detail on the coin:
https://www.topworldcoins.com/colle...e-lunokhod-1-space-proof-tantalum-silver-coin

 

Coin #6 in the series - THE FIRST COSMONAUT

Date of release: 03.29.2011
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 5,000
Notes: There are several changes this year. First the mintage increased by 1,000 compared to the prior years. Also the rings were switched up. The inner disc is made of silver while the outer ring is tantalum. This led to more tantalum being used and less silver.

Obverse: No major changes compared to the 2006 coin
Reverse: Yuri Gagarin is featured with the spacecraft Vostok in the background.

Quick Fact: 2011 was the 50th anniversary of Gagarin being the first person to journey into outer space and orbit the Earth.
~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward.



More info on Gagarin:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin

This website has some more detail on the coin:
https://www.topworldcoins.com/colle...st-cosmonaut-space-proof-tantalum-silver-coin

 

Coin #7 in the series - MIR SPACE STATION

Date of release: 04.28.2012
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 5,000
Notes: This year returned back to the style of the 2006-2010 coins. The inner disc is made of tantalum while the outer ring is silver.

Obverse: No major changes compared to the 2006 coin
Reverse: The space station Mir is orbiting above Earth and the space shuttle Atlantis is docking. The Mir insignia is featured on the outer ring.

Quick Fact: Mir was the first continuously inhabited long-term research station in orbit and held the record for the longest continuous human presence in space at 3,644 days, until it was surpassed by the ISS (more on that later).
~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward.


More info on Mir:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir

This website has some more detail on the coin:
https://www.topworldcoins.com/colle...nge-space-station-mir-space-proof-silver-coin

 

Cool beans . . . .

Z

 

Coin #8 in the series - ISS (INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION)

Date of release: 10.18.2013
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 5,000
Notes: This is the first year where the color of the tantalum was changed (via an anodizing process). The inner disc is made of tantalum while the outer ring is silver. The mint and NGC calls this a proof but the outer ring does not have the same mirror finish as prior years; it is closer to a matte proof.

Obverse: No major changes compared to the 2006 coin
Reverse: The International Space Station orbiting the Earth with an astronaut floating in space. The insignia of the ISS appears above.

Quick Fact: The station combines five space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).
~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward.


More info on ISS:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station

 

Coin #9 in the series - BURAN

Date of release: 01.28.2015
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 3,000
Notes: This is the second year where the color of the tantalum was changed (via an anodizing process). The inner disc is made of tantalum while the outer ring is silver. The coin was released a month into the next year. The mintage was lower than the prior issue and tied for the lowest among the entire series.

Obverse: No major changes compared to the 2006 coin
Reverse: The Buran spacecraft launched on the Soviet Union's super-heavy lift vehicle, Energia.

Quick Fact: Buran was the first spaceplane to be produced as part of the Soviet Buran program and it completed one uncrewed spaceflight in 1988.
~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward.



More info on Buran:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_(spacecraft)

 

Coin #10 in the series - VENERA-10

Date of release: 12.25.2015
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 3,000
Notes: This is the third year where the color of the tantalum was changed (via an anodizing process). The inner disc is made of tantalum while the outer ring is silver. The mintage tied that of the 2014 dated coin for the lowest among the entire series. This is the last coin in the series.

Obverse: No major changes compared to the 2006 coin
Reverse: Venera 10 in space above Venus.

Quick Fact: Venera 10 was a Soviet uncrewed space mission to Venus, launched on June 14, 1975. It consisted of an orbiter and a lander.
~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward.


More info on Venera 10:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera_10

 

Bonus coin - BAIKONUR

Date of release: 07.27.2012
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 5,000
Notes: This coin is part of a different series - The Heritage of the Republic - but it often is included with the space series based on the coin having similar specifications to the space coins and the same theme of space. The inner disc is made of tantalum while the outer ring is silver.

Obverse: A combination of stars, planets, and two human figures. This is meant as a symbol of the unity of man and the Universe.
Reverse: Lines show the orbits of satellites originating from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Some of these form a shanyrak (a symbol of common home and common homeland of all people living in Kazakhstan).

Quick Fact: The Cosmodrome is the world's first spaceport for orbital and human launches, and the largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Baikonur. The spaceport is currently leased by the government of Kazakhstan to Russia until 2050. It was originally built by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s for their space program.

Other: This coin helps explain Kazakhstan's connection to all of the space coins-the base from where everything was launched is located in Kazakhstan.
~~~

My example is pictured below. It has the reverse facing forward. NGC labeled this coin as part of the Space Series even though it isn't (it's from the Heritage Series). Since I sent it in with the rest of the space coins, they may have assumed it was part of that series (I didn't make any notes besides the date and denomination on the grading form as I didn't know what would be on the label). The only other graded example I've seen (a PF 70 UCAM that sold on eBay Sept 5, 2020 for $105) had the same "Space Series" written on the label.



More info on Baikonur:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baikonur_Cosmodrome

Info on shanyrak and the emblem of Kazakhstan:
https://www.election.gov.kz/eng/symbolls/gosudarstvennyy-gerb-rk.php

This website has some more detail on the coin:
https://www.topworldcoins.com/colle...ur-property-of-the-republic-proof-silver-coin

Link to Heritage Series from Kazakhstan:
https://bsbnb.nationalbank.kz/?docid=29&cat_id=154&switch=english

 

Some other random thoughts:

~When I first saw these coins the prices on eBay for all were ~$90 or more (2013-2014). At that time it seemed too expensive, so I only bought one (the 2009) and did not collect the entire series. In 2017 I noticed these coins again and saw that prices were significantly lower. The newer coins were available for ~$50. In talking with one of the sellers from Kazakhstan, I learned that the country had gone through a period of high inflation and so the coins had become cheaper relative to the dollar. The chart in the link below shows that $1 used to fluctuate between 180 and 190 Tenge in 2014 before spiking above 380 Tenge in early 2016. By 2017 it had settled into the low 300s. That is when I decided to collect the series (and was able to buy the 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 all in the $40-$60 range).

https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=KZT&view=10Y

~The coins came from a few sources. The newest ones (both 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) were from a seller in Kazakhstan while the rest were from Poland (2008, 2010) and various US sellers (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011). All were raw until I sent them for grading.

~While the 2014 and 2015 have the lowest mintages, they are fairly easy to acquire even today

~As of this post, I believe local sellers can still buy the 2013 and 2015 from the mint

~The first coin in the series (2006) is one of the more expensive as are the 2007, 2008, and 2010 (all three of those might be even harder to find than the 2006).

~The 2009 tends to be easier to find and goes for less than the others coins issued between 2006-2011 (but often more than the 2012-2015 coins)

~The 2011 is somewhat more difficult to find but still available-although at prices above the 2009

~My experience shows the level of difficulty of finding the coins goes as follows (from most difficult to least difficult): 2010, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2011, 2009, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2013

~The order of average prices for the coins goes as follows (from most expensive to least expensive): 2006, 2010, 2008, 2007, 2011, 2009, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012

 

@gxseries in one of the old threads about these you mentioned trying to hoard a few of the 2006. Did you ever do so or collect the series?

 

Nice to see this all out together! I Still have the 2006 (which I bought in 2008) with the case - I don’t have any COA. Never thought about that until now and I see from my notes that I never got one. I collected sun faces and bimetallics then - so it was a no brainer. It survived my coin purge since it was a nice design!

 

It’s a beautiful coin and you made the right call in hanging onto it!