Sounds like a monster movie! IMHO I think the Hedgehog should be the last(or second to last) in the Wildlife Protection series. Limiting the number of releases keeps the series unique and special. I look at what's happened to the Deadly & Dangerous series. The first four, Redback spider, Great White shark, Blue Ring octopus, and Saltwater croc were killer (pun intended). The colorization and unique packaging was something special. Now colorized coins flood the market. You can get the last two issues for close to release price on the secondary markets. The overall effect is to lower the value of the early releases. The Redback will always be the prize for the series, but the subsequent issues won't increase in value as much because the number of new coins might discourage new collectors. I think the Wildlife series might head down that same path. Also, I'm surprised we haven't seen a flood of antique finish, crystal embeded coins from other mints trying to capitalize on the Wolverine. Any thoughts? BTW, I'm lucky enough to have complete sets of both series.
I agree that they "shouldn't" go down the road of the D&D coins, but most likely will if they're making money from it. The wildlife protection series is now on their 3rd release and demand seems higher than ever. Don't remember the octopus (or even the shark for that matter) commanding such attention. There are certainly a lot of coins featuring crystals out there, I have a few myself, but not so many with antique finish. The Belarus Zodiac series from 2009 comes to mind. The amber route series was pretty strong to begin with (although of course that was amber insert not swarovski crystals) but after 7 or 8 coins in the series I think the appeal died quickly. I wonder if for the most part the crystal coins seem a bit more tacky to buyers than coloured coins do? The WP series has the advantage of having really striking designs that catch the eye, rather than simply relying on the crystals with a ho-hum design
I think the Wildlife series got it right. The crystals don't overwhelm the design and the antique finish is perfect to depict featers and fur. Simple and elegant. The Belarus animals with crystal eyes aren't as appealing in the proof finish. Too shiny. The Belarus Zodiac series is a really nice use of antique finish. I would have got it if they had been an ounce, just my preference. The Deadly's appeal was the color was designed into the coin, not just a coin that was colorized (like the Perth Lunar's). I agree that too much crystal/jewels take away from the coin's appeal. And if the design isn't good, adding bells and whistles won't make it better.
