Silver Ounce 2021 Tasmanian Tiger, Coin from Solomon Islands - detailed information

Apart from its regular circulating coinage, Solomon Islands has authorised a number of private mints to issue collector coins in precious metals, which are legal tender in the country but are not intended for general circulation. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes - typically, one ounce of silver (abbreviated as 1 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum). These are usually dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to the country itself.

This coloured coin struck from 99.99% pure silver is dedicated to the Tasmanian Tiger. It is part of a series of specially shaped coins, and the head, paw and tail of the Tasmanian Tiger extend beyond the round coin shape, giving the coin an unusual appearance.

Once widespread in Australia and Tasmania, the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was initially displaced by dingoes and eventually fell victim to extinction. The officially last known specimen named Benjamin died on 7 September 1936 in the Hobart Zoo. Since then, persistent rumours of alleged sightings of the carnivorous marsupial continue to surface - studies also exist that suggest the Tasmanian tiger may have survived well beyond the 1930s.