| Coin | Silver Ounce 2021 The Elephant |
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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 silver ounce (1 oz silver) format, usually denominated as £1.
This premium bullion coin is part of the Cash Coin Collection featuring the Treasures of India, and has The Elephant as a representative of Indian Wildlife.
The Elephant is considered a cultural icon of India and symbolises divinity, power and luck. Indian elephants (genus Elephas) differ significantly from African elephants (genus Loxodanta): their physique is smaller and lighter, their ears are smaller and only the males have tusks. Similar to Africa, however, elephants in Asia are severely threatened by massive habitat loss, poaching and the illegal trade in ivory. The population in the wild has already declined by at least 50%, which is why they are currently listed as "endangered".
The coins in the series are designed by Nick Martin, based on drawings of the animals by Veronica Mackinnon. |
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| Obverse | |
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The obverse of the coin depicts the crowned old bust of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Royal Diamond Diadem crown worn for her Coronation (effigy known as the "Fifth Portrait" worldwide but "Sixth Portrait" in Australia, where the Queen's portrait by Vladimir Gottwald was fifth).
The Queen also wears the Coronation Necklace; originally made for Queen Victoria in 1858, it was also worn at the coronations (as Queen's Consort) of Queen Alexandra in 1902, Queen Mary in 1911 and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen mother) in 1937.
Unlike on British coinage, the effigy is "uncouped" (includes the Queen's shoulders). In small letters on the left, the artist's initials JC (for Jody Clark).
Running continuously around the rim is the monarch's legend, the date of issue and the face value: ELIZABETH II · D · G · REGINA · F · D · ST. HELENA · ONE POUND · 2021 ·. Translated from Latin: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith, Saint Helena.
The background is patterned with a geometric motif. |
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| Reverse | |
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The reverse features a detailed image of an Indian elephant, walking towards the viewer, against a strikingly patterned background.
Around the rim, the inscription ONE OUNCE · CASH · 999 SILVER. In this context, "cash" is a reference to the small coins issued by the (original) East India Company in India, denominated as "cash".
In the rim below left, the EIC mint mark of the East India Company; the letters are separated by arrows radiating from the centre around which they are situated. |
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| Reverse Inscription |
ONE OUNCE · CASH · 999 SILVER |
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| Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | Finish: bullion (Brilliant Uncirculated).
Packaging: none (loose coin), or 18 coins in mint tube. |
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| See also |
Saint Helena "Cash" coins featuring wildlife include:
- 1 oz Gold, Indian Wildlife - Bengal Tiger, 2019
- 1 oz Gold, Indian Wildlife - The Peacock, 2020
- 1 oz Gold, Indian Wildlife - The Elephant, 2021
- 1 oz Gold, Indian Wildlife - The Cobra, 2022
- 1 oz Gold, Indian Wildlife - The Rhino, 2022
- 5 oz Silver, Indian Wildlife - The Cobra, 2022
- 5 oz Silver, Indian Wildlife - The Rhino, 2022
- 1 oz Silver, Indian Wildlife - Bengal Tiger, 2019
- 1 oz Silver, Indian Wildlife - The Peacock, 2020
- 1 oz Silver, Indian Wildlife - The Elephant, 2021
- 1 oz Silver, Indian Wildlife - The Cobra, 2022
- 1 oz Silver, Indian Wildlife - The Rhino, 2022
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