Silver Half Ounce 2011 Jellyfish - Chrysaora Achlyos, Coin from Pitcairn Islands - detailed information

The Pitcairn Islands is a non-sovereign British overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean. Having a population of fewer than fifty people, the territory has no need for local coinage and uses the New Zealand dollar as a medium of exchange. Pitcairn Islands began issuing its first commemorative coins in 1988. Though the Pitcairn Islands dollar is not a true currency in the strict sense of the word and is not used as a circulation coinage, it can be lawfully exchanged as tender and is considered a variety of the New Zealand dollar (although it is not legal tender in New Zealand). The Pitcairn Islands dollar exists only because of the coin collecting market, which provides a major staple for the tiny island nation.

The coins are struck by various foreign mints and use internationally popular formats, such as the half ounce (1/2oz) of silver. Some of them are released at prices much higher than their intrinsic value - such as this one - so are classified as Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) (for those sold at a low margin, see the bullion silver half ounce section instead).

The Chrysaora Achlyoscoloured silver coin is part of a series issued for the Pitcairn Islands which features Marine Life.

The black sea nettle (Chrysaora achlyos), sometimes informally known as the “black jellyfish” due to its dark coloration, is a species of jellyfish that can be found in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Its range is thought to be from Monterey Bay in the north, down to southern Baja California and Mexico, though there are reports of sightings as far north as British Columbia. It is a giant jellyfish, with its bell measuring up to 1 m (3 ft) in size, and its oral arms extending up to 6 m (20 ft) in length. Despite its size and occasional proximity to Pacific coastal cities, the Black sea nettle was only recognized and scientifically described as a separate species in 1997, though misidentified pictures of the jellyfish had been taken in 1925. It has the scientific distinction of being the largest invertebrate discovered in the twentieth century.