Zombie Product Review: Zombucks Murk Diem Zombie Coin
Back in April we reviewed the Zombucks™ The Barber Silver Round zombie themed coin from Provident Metals here on our zombie blog. We were blown away with the quality and were eager to see what would come next.
Our zombie excitement peaked when the mailman delivered our mail earlier this week. The folks at Provident Metals sent us another Zombie themed precious metal round to review. This time they’ve sent the silver version of the latest edition to the Zombucks™ line: The Murk Diem Round.
When we did our first review we wrote a pretty detailed crash course explanation of precious metals and why many businesses and individuals choose to collect and invest in them. You can read that zombie product review here. In the interest of time, we won’t be rehashing it all again in this review.
You could invest in and collect any old boring silver, but why would you when Zombucks exist? The Zombucks™ line is a series of zombie themed precious metal bullion rounds from Provident Metals. The fun thing about the series is every release is a zombie themed version of an actual popular coin from history. The entire series will consist of 10 different round designs. Each design is typically available in a Silver and Copper version.
The line launched with the first two zombie coin designs in 2013. The first offering was the 2017 Zombucks Walker round, a zombie themed interpretation of Adolph Weinman’s Walking Liberty Design. The second release was the 2017 Morgue Anne round that pays homage to the popular Morgan Dollar that was issued from 1878-1904 and again in 1921. The third release in the Zombucks line was the 2018 ZomBuff round. Its design was inspired by James Earle Fraser’s Indian Head Nickel (1913 to 1938). The 4th release in the Zombucks zombie themed coin series was The Barber, which was based off of Charles Barber’s Lady Liberty Quarter design (1892-1916).
There’s a catch with the Zombucks line. Each release is time limited. Collectors only have a certain amount of time to make their purchase before the edition is discontinued. Take, for example, The Barber release. The Barber coin was available for purchase from April 1st, 2014 through July 1st, 2014. On July 2nd production and sales of the proof were halted. After a coin design has been discontinued the only way you can buy it from Provident Metals is to grab a very cool, but more expensive, proof version.
These proof versions come with an awesome claim shell case, numbered certificate of authenticity, box and more. We hope to purchase and review a proof version sometime in the future to give you a better idea of what they’re like. For now, let’s continue on with this review.
Our Review of this Zombie Product
Provident Metals sent us the newest member of their Zombucks line: The Murk Diem. The Murk Diem is the fifth in a series of 10 rounds that will make up the Zombucks limited bullion series. For the purposes of our zombie product review, we were sent a 1 oz Silver Murk Diem Round.
Packaging and Shipping: Shipping was very fast and our piece was double packaged in two padded bubble envelope mailers. The Murk Diem round was safely stored in an economical clear plastic coin sleeve along with a Provident Metals card.
The round was then sealed in a Biohazard zip closure storage bag which provided a nice finishing touch to the whole zombie theme. Since this was a review piece sent to us for purposes of product review it’s important to state we don’t know for sure how actual products purchased by consumers are shipped. We can say our zombie themed precious metal coin arrived fast and in great condition. There’s absolutely nothing for us to complain about here!
The Round: The 2018 Zombucks Murk Diem pays tribute to Adolph Weinman’s Mercury Dime coin issued from 1916 to 1945. Here’s what the original coin looks like:
As you can see in the photo above, the original Mercury Dime features an image of the goddess Liberty. The prim, proper and pristine feathers in her cap are said to represent freedom and liberty of thought.
Now that you’ve seen the inspiration for this zombie coin, let’s take a look at Provident Metal’s Zombucks version:
View more images of this zombie collectible in the image gallery below. Click the images below to open a larger view.
The highlight of this round is without a doubt the obverse side. It looks like the zombie apocalypse has brought darker times upon the world because Liberty isn’t looking so hot on the front of the Zombucks Murk Diem. Provident metals has given Liberty a subtle zombie make over. Her feathered cap is now tattered and weathered. The feathered wings are a matted mangy mess and only hint of their former glory.
The goddess looks as if she’s succumbed to the Zombie virus. We’re pretty sure that’s some exposed brain matter at the top of her head. Take a look at her face and neck and all doubts fade away. Bits of flesh are gone or peeled away, exposing the underlying musculature. Neck muscles and the bones of her spine are also visible.
Instead of “LIBERTY” the top of the face of the Zombucks version is inscribed with the phrase MURK DIEM which means “Dark Day.” As luck would have it it, “Murk” is also a popular slang term that refers to murder or the act of killing. Dark days are upon us indeed!
To the left of Liberty is a “Z50” denomination, clearly indicating Zombucks are “The Currency of The Apocalypse”. Below and to the right, “2018” is inscribed to finish off the design.
Just like when we reviewed The Barber, we were blown away with the level of detail and the crisp, sharp features on this zombie coin. There is no muddying in the design or loss of detail. You can even see striations in the skeletal muscle of the neck and other small details upon close examination!
We also noticed a nice lustre that was noticeably improved from the Barber coin we previously reviewed. We suspect the increased shine is due to the fact that the Murk Diem design has more flat negative space than the Barber and thus can reflect light more easily. Or maybe our Barber has just oxidized slightly since April. Whatever the reason, the Murk Diem seems to offer a little more lustre when we compared it to the 4th installment in the Zombucks line.
The reverse of the round is pretty much identical to the other Zombucks editions. It features a large biohazard symbol along with some cool blood spatter effects and the phrase “Zombucks The Currency of The Apocalypse”. We’ve been pretty surprised at the sharp detail here as well. The biohazard emblem has a very cool raised 3D effect that terminates in a nice crisp line in the center of each “arm” of the biohazard emblem. The effect really works to add drama and depth. The reverse of the Murk Diem round sports the Provident Metals logo, which looks great. That’s a surprise considering the small size. The reverse is also inscribed with “1 oz .999 fine silver.”
What’s Great
- Stunning Detail: The design features sharp details and the entire proof is executed very well. At the low price level one might expect poor detail and other flaws. That certainly isn’t the case with this coin and other coins we’ve seen in the Zombucks series.
- Subtle Zombies: Subtle isn’t a word you use often when reviewing zombie products. Zombie products are typically bold, gaudy and in your face with bright red blood and neon “zombie green” colors. Not so with Zombucks. Stand a few feet away and you could easily mistake these as normal “boring” coins.
- Affordable Pricing: At the time of this review the Murk Diem coin is priced not even $3.00 over spot (the current value of 1 oz of silver at this moment). That means at the time of this post a Zombucks™ Murk Diem 1 oz Silver Round is priced from $24.48 to $25.291. Around $25.00 isn’t bad for an investment or unique zombie gift idea. If you’re looking to be thrifty, the copper rounds are even more affordable and are the perfect solution for zombie collectors on a tight budget. The copper versions can even be acquired for under $2.00 each before shipping!
- Highly Collectible: The fact that each round is sold for a limited time and edition size isn’t released until after sales close make these zombie coins highly collectible.
- Great Concept: As we’ve stated before, we love that these are inspired by and based off of classic coin designs. Provident Metals didn’t just slap some random generic zombie images on these rounds. The added attention to detail and extra effort are greatly appreciated by this reviewer.
- Design Introduces the Next Generation to Precious Metals: The zombie themed design on these rounds should captivate a younger audience and introduce a whole new generation to the world of precious metal bullion investing and coin collecting. The fact that each design is based on an actual popular coin from history could potentially generate interest in coin collecting in zombie fans that wouldn’t normally consider collecting coins.
Meh. What’s Not So Great
There honestly isn’t much to complain about with the Zombucks series of coins but in the interest of a fair review I’ll discuss a few things that we weren’t thrilled with.
- Lose the Liberty: One small complaint is we’re getting just a tad tired of the whole “Liberty” theme that seems to be prevalent in the Zombucks series. In fact, only one coin in the series thus far hasn’t featured a zombiefied lady Liberty in some way. The first coin featured a zombie version of the Walking Liberty design. This was followed by the Morgue Anne which featured a zombie Liberty head. The next coin in the series featured a welcome break with the Zombuff design. After that we went right back to Liberty. The Barber, featured…you guessed it, a zombie Lady Liberty. At least that time her eye was impaled with a pair of Barber shears. This latest offering features Liberty again on the Murk Diem. Liberty is a common theme on coinage so it’s not entirely their fault, but we still wish Provident would find a way to mix things up a little.
- Limited Availability: While the limited availability is great for generating demand and increasing collectible value, the limited availability of each round isn’t so great when you miss the sales window on a release. Four rounds have already been discontinued which means those of you just getting into collecting the Zombucks line will need to hit ebay or private sellers if you want one. The other option would be to cough up the dough for the more expensive proof version of a release from Provident Metals. Either way means a little more money out of your pocket.
- Only 10 Rounds: We’re a little disappointed that the Zombucks line only has 10 rounds. We’re already halfway through! The series is set to conclude with a final design in the 4th Quarter of 2015. We doubt we’re the only ones hoping there will be a second series at some point!
- No Zombucks Branding on the Card: This is a very minor complaint but it bothers us none the less. Although it’s just a small cardboard square inserted into the coin envelope, we’re slightly disappointed it wasn’t a Zombucks themed card in the coin sleeve.
The Final Verdict:
We gave the Murk Diem a 4.5 out of 5.
If you’re looking for a high quality and unique zombie gift that won’t be worthless in two years, look no further than the Zombucks line. The Murk Diem 1 oz .999 pure silver round features stunning detail and impressive 39mm size.
While we can’t help but hope some of the releases in the second half of the Zombucks series shamble away from coin designs that feature Lady Liberty, we suspect we’ll continue to fall in love with every gruesome Zombucks zombie coin to come.
Where to Buy:
The Murk Diem Zombucks Precious Metal Bullion Round is available directly from ProvidentMetals.com from July 1st, through October 1st, 2014. After October 1st Production and sales of the standard version of the round will cease. Only a proof version will remain available via Provident for a limited time thereafter.