Saint Helena is a small island in the South Atlantic Ocean which is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The currency of the island is the Saint Helena pound, fixed at parity with the pound sterling. The island has authorised some private mints to issue coins under its jurisdiction, which come in a variety of sizes - including in the popular gold ounce (1 oz gold) format, denominated as £100.
This premium bullion coin is part of the Cash Coin Collection featuring the Treasures of India, and has The Lion Tail Macaque as a representative of Indian Wildlife.
The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), also known as the wanderoo, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. Lion-tailed macaques are covered in black fur, and have a striking gray or silver mane that surrounds their face which can be found in both sexes. The face itself is hairless and black, being pinkish in infants less than a year old. They are named not for their mane, but for their tail, which is long, thin, and naked, with a lion-like, black tail tuft at the tip.
The coins in the series are designed by Nick Martin, based on drawings of the animals by Veronica Mackinnon. |
Obverse | |
The obverse of the coin shows the bare (uncrowned) head of King Charles III facing left.
In tiny letters on the neck truncation, the artist's initials: GD (for Glyn Davies).
Around, the monarch's legend followed by the face value and date of issue: CHARLES III · D · G · REX · F · D · ST. HELENA · £100 · 2023 ·. Translated from Latin, the legend means: Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King, Defender of the Faith, Saint Helena.
The background is patterned with a geometric motif. |
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