Unusual New Shapes Of Coins

@sap said it well.

These issues have very little to do with numismatics; they are giftware. Certainly some of them are very interesting to look at, and if I like some of the the smaller and flat ones (fit into a 2 1/2 x 2 1/2) I may get them if they are available cheaply in the aftermarket, but I honestly don't pay much attention to these special mint issues any more.

Personally, coin collecting for me needs to be rooted in what is released for spending. I am not quite as strict as @sap with the 2x2 or crown sized 2.5x2.5 constraint... I am happy with NCLT versions of coins that are released to circulation. I even stretch to coins that while recognizably coins, would never be released for circulation... In this I include items such as colourized coins, Proof silver or gold releases and anything that is basically coin shaped and could be mistaken for a circulating item (metal notwithstanding). I will even grant a hall pass to "big" coins such as the RCM series or the 5oz ATB series quarters which while never a circulating size, still resembles a coin albeit oversized.

I draw the line at spheres, Starship Enterprise outlines, King Tut's mask, diamonds, Carousels, figurines...etc. Don't get me wrong, these items should exist as there are folks that want them either individually or as part of a collection but sticking on a monarch's head and giving it a Face Value does not make it a coin. The French Mint does a great job of selling traditional NCLT product but also non-coin objects without a Face Value or Euro label. More mints around the world should follow suit.

In the bullion world, the RCM issues silver bars alongside maple leaf coins. The bars don't have a Face Value nor a Monarch's head but they are still collected/stacked. I don't know why there is a need to add a denomination to a diamond shaped block of silver or an intricate working carousel.

Figurines in bronze & silver
Bracelets

Marketing. All of their market research proves, again and again, that "coins sell, other non-coin things like medals don't".

A statement which really only holds true for the "coin collectors" target market, which as I've said isn't the target market for many of these products. Would the New Zealand Mint have been able to sell all 299 solid silver Death Stars if they weren't given legal tender status by Niue? Probably, yes. They might even have sold more of them, since at least some of the Star Wars fans would have been put off by the giant face of Elizabeth II, whose portrait certainly did not grace the "real" Death Star. Though it's entirely possible that Lucasfilm wouldn't have granted permission for the artifacts to be created unless they were "coins". But we'll never know, because the mints cannot break away from their "coins > medals" mindset.

It's also possible that the mints, especially the private mints like New Zealand Mint, don't want to end up like Franklin Mint - which in the end was making and selling collectable plates, Star Trek chess sets, pocket knives and such, but not coins. They know that their actual bread-and-butter customers, the coin collectors, are put off by reading a product catalogue that's full of non-coins.

Since 2017 when I collected fictional spacecraft, these are the only ones. So, Star Trek? or Star Wars? What's your pleasure? (There is also a handful of 20/4/20 Star Trek coins not shown.

USS Enterprise 2017, $100 Canadian, 10 ounces Fine Silver


Millennium Falcon 2022, $5.00 NIUE 3 ounces Fine Silver

I enjoy the movies and other content from both franchises but will focus on the "coins"... Without rehashing my position on non-coin shaped NCLT, I think the Millennium Falcon is a better pick. I have seen both of these items in hand at a LCS; and by its nature, the Falcon is a flat design or at least rendering it in a flat shape is not too distorting. The Enterprise on the other hand is rendered as a silhouette. The actual model has a third dimension that is not represented in the flat silver "coin" and it is more of an odd shaped bar of silver. I have had a pewter model of the Enterprise in the past (Franklin Mint I think) and from a collectible perspective it is closer and more desirable than the RCM version as it is a fairly accurate representation of the spaceship that fueled my childhood wonder of space and science and one of the reasons I pursued astrophysics when I went to University. And yes... I am old enough that Star Trek had a much greater influence on my childhood passions than Star Wars.

I will never denigrate another's preference as the 'eye of the beholder' is an important filter... but since the question was asked... definitely the Falcon over the Enterprise... and that is not a reflection on the franchises. I do wonder since the RCM is now into non-coin shaped silver and has bedazzled (jeweled) items in the past. Given the intricacy of the carousel and the truly 3D aspect of the animal series whether they would do a truly 3D Enterprise NCC-1701 or NCC-1701D model using Swarovski or Murano glass for the nacelle caps. While it would lend credence to those claiming the rebirth of the Franklin Mint in Ottawa, it would also be an interesting model for fans of the franchises.

Did a new RCM commemorative make its way into a cash register?

I'm confused ....doesn't the "new coin RCM released" have a definite resemblance to the long (?) running Pysanka coins

'When is a coin is not a coin?'
is a question all collectors should ask themselves, when it comes to modern mint product.