We come across some of the coolest zombie products. Few things please us more than when we’re sent something unique and zombie related for a detailed hands on review. It doesn’t get much cooler or more unique than The Zombucks™ limited precious bullion round series from Provident Metals. We’ve seen photos of them online, but have been dying to see one first hand. When we heard the kind folks at Provident Metals were sending their latest addition to the Zombucks line our way for review, we were understandably excited. Do these zombie themed versions of popular coins from the past live up to our expectations or did they disappoint? Read on to find out!
Before we get into the review it’s probably a good idea to take a few moments for a crash course in precious metal bullion and the Zombucks™ line. Of course feel free to just skip to our review if you don’t need the lesson or you’re just impatient. Either way I promise it will be painless.
A metal is considered precious when it is rare and holds high economic value. We’re talking the shiny valuable stuff like gold, silver, palladium and platinum. The term “Bullion” typically refers to a precious metal in bulk form and this is how precious metal is typically collected, stored and traded. Precious metal bullion is available in different forms such as bars, ingots, rounds or coins. Bullion holds no real face value like legal tender. Instead the value lies in the inherent value of the precious metal itself. That value is based partly on purity and mass. Three nines (.999 or 99.9%) purity is commonly seen in the world of precious metals and that’s about as pure as it gets. It’s nearly impossible, for practical purposes, to purify a precious metal to 100% pure.
Why bother with collecting and investing in precious metals? Many would argue that paper money in your pocket is essentially just that: worthless paper. (Side note if you feel that way I’m happy to take all of your money should you decide to throw it all away one day. ) Throughout history gold, silver and other precious metals have formed the basis of economy and monetary systems.
Most people know money here in the United States used to be backed by gold. That was a long time ago my friend. Our US currency hasn’t been backed by gold since we ended the Gold Standard way back in 1933. Changes back in the 1970s effectively removed any remaining international association between gold and the value of the US Dollar. Your money is now backed by theory and the “Full Faith and Credit of the United States”. To further complicate matters the “value” of the US dollar fluctuates and during times of recession and socio-economic turmoil it usually drops. That’s all a very scary combination for many.
Precious metals like gold and silver have held their value well over time and that makes them an attractive investment and bartering tool regardless of the state of the economy. It’s also just fun to collect shiny stuff! What could be more fun than collecting Zombie themed precious metal bullion? That’s exactly the opportunity Provident Metals brings to the table with their Zombucks™ series of bullion rounds.
What’s a “round?” While they may look just like a coin, that’s technically not the correct term. The term “coin” usually refers to actual currency and legal tender, which a “round” is not. In other words you could walk into a store and pay for an item with the face value of a coin. You can’t do that with a round because they’re not actual money. Since there’s no real face value, the value of a round mainly lies in the inherent value of the precious metal it is made up of. Since they’re not technically coins and they’re essentially a round disk of precious metal, they’re referred to as “rounds.” Call them what you like, but if you ask us, it doesn’t get any cooler than shiny zombie themed precious metal discs.
The Zombucks™ limited bullion series consists of a total of 10 different rounds. The fun thing about this series is the designs are actually based off of original popular coins from history. Each release is limited in number. Once the sales period ends, the round is discontinued and only more expensive collectible proofs are available for that round. Each round is currently available in silver and more affordable copper.
The series launched with two designs in 2013. The first round offered was the 2017 Zombucks Walker round which is a zombie themed interpretation of Adolph Weinman’s Walking Liberty Design. This was followed by the 2017 Morgue Anne round that pays homage to the Morgan Dollar that circulated from 1878-1904 and in 1921. The third offering in the Zombucks line was the 2018 ZomBuff round inspired by James Earle Fraser’s Indian Head Nickel (1913-1938). That brings us to the piece we received for review.
Our Review
Provident Metals sent us the newest member of their Zombucks line: The Barber. The Barber is the fourth in a series of 10 rounds that will make up the Zombucks limited bullion series. We received a 1 oz Silver The Barber Round.
Packaging and Shipping: Shipping was fast and our piece was double packed in two bubble envelope mailers. The Barber was packaged in a clear plastic coin/round sleeve along with a Provident Metals card. The fact that our round was sent in a Biohazard labeled zip closure baggy was a nice zombie-themed finishing touch. There’s absolutely nothing to complain about here!
The Round: The Barber honors the Barber Liberty Head Quarter that circulated from 1892 to 1916. The original coin was so named because the image was created by the US Chief Engraver at the time, Charles E. Barber. Here’s what the original coin looks like:
Provident has given a subtle and refined zombie makeover to Lady Liberty. Her neck is gashed and the flesh on her face is decomposing. In a cruel play on words she has a pair of scissors or barber shears embedded in her eye. This is a 39mm diameter, 1 troy ounce round of .999 fine silver and it is absolutely gorgeous.
Right out of the package we were blown away. We found the finish on The Barber to be superb. The level of detail was stunning. We fully expected the physical product to be sub-par compared to the product shown on the web. We were quite pleased to discover the photos on the Zombucks and Provident Metals sites don’t do the round justice. We found everything crisp with sharp detail and overall the finish was close to flawless. Lustre was much better than we anticipated from the product photos .
The obverse, or front face, of the coin is stunning. We could make out tiny details right down to the slotted screw in the center of the scissors embedded in Lady Liberty’s eye. Even the thirteen 6 pointed stars around the perimeter are sharp and crisp. The “Z”50 denomination is a nice touch.
The reverse of the round features the biohazard symbol, some blood spatter effects and the phrase “Zombucks The Currency of The Apocalypse”. We were pretty surprised at the sharp detail here as well. The biohazard emblem has a very cool raised 3D effect that terminates in a nice sharp line to add depth. The round also sports the provident metals logo, which came out quite well considering the small size. The reverse is also marked “1 oz .999 fine silver.”
See more images our Zombucks The Barber Silver Round in the image gallery below. (Click each image to open up a larger image in a new window/tab)
What’s Great
- Great Concept: We love the fact that these are inspired by and based off of classic American coin designs. Provident Metals could have easily taken the easy way out and slapped some random generic zombies on these rounds. The added attention to detail is a definite plus and it’s hard not to appreciate the extra thought that goes into these
- Subtle Zombies: Subtle isn’t a word you use often when reviewing zombie products. Zombie products are often 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” rounds.
- Amazing Finish and Detail
- Affordable Pricing: At the time of this review, the Barber 1 oz silver round is currently priced around $22 to $23. That’s less than $3.00 over spot (the current value of 1 oz of silver at this moment). The copper rounds are even more affordable yet for collectors on a tight budget. They can be acquired for under $2.00 each before shipping!
- Limited Availability: Each round is sold for a limited time. After the sales period is over the round is discontinued making these highly collectible.
- Unique Design Introduces the Next Generation to Precious Metals: The fun zombie design on these rounds should captivate a younger audience and introduce a whole new generation to the world of precious metal bullion collecting and investing. It’s not too often a zombie collectible is pretty much guaranteed to hold its value over time!
Meh. What’s Not So Great
There isn’t much to complain about here but in the interest of a fair and unbiased review we did our best to find something to be upset about.
- Limited Availability: While this is a pro in terms of demand and value, the limited availability of each round just plain stinks when you come into collecting the series late. Three rounds have already been discontinued which means Johnny-come-lately will need to hit ebay or private sellers if he wants one. Either that or you’ll need to pony up for the more expensive proof from Provident Metals. Either way means more money.
- Only 10 Rounds: We’re a little disappointed that the Zombucks line only has 10 rounds. We’re nearly halfway through and the series is set to conclude with the final design in the 4th Quarter of 2015. We can only hope there will be a second series at some point!
- No Zombucks Branding on the Card: Granted it’s just a small cardboard square inserted into the envelope but we we disappointed there was no Zombucks themed card in the coin sleeve. We are obviously searching for things to whine about at this point!
The Final Verdict:
5 out of 5
Based on our experience with our silver The Barber round we are absolutely in love with Zombucks. I’m actually personally planning on going back and finding the first 3 discontinued rounds and purchasing the rest of the series to complete my collection. They really are that cool. The fact that these will still have value long after the zombie pop-culture craze has ended make buying these a no brainer! If you’re looking to give a unique zombie themed gift that will have value for years to come, look no further.
I’m definitely buying these!
I’m sort of hooked myself!
Great looking coin