| Coin | Gold Tenth-Ounce 2022 Iberian Lynx |
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Like many other mints, the Royal Mint of Spain issues - apart from the regular circulation coinage it strikes - a variety of commemorative coins for collectors. Since 2021, it also issues bullion coins - sold at prices close to the intrinsic value of the precious metal they are made from. The first of these was in the internationally popular one troy ounce of gold format, followed in 2022 by the small tenth-ounce (1/10 oz) of gold.
The tenth-ounce is denominated as 15 Euro cents - just a token face value showing the legal tender status of the coin, which is worth considerably more.
This coin is the first tenth-ounce bullion coin issued by Spain, and features the Iberian lynx, which was also shown on the first gold ounce (issued in 2021).
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is a rare wild cat species native to Spain and Portugal. Due to many external threats such as ongoing road expansion and habitat reduction, the lynx is an endangered species and is on the IUCN Red List. The Iberian lynx look very similar to the Eurasian lynx, but are much smaller in comparison and have a more heavily spotted fur. However, just like their northern relatives, they are most easily recognised by the brush hairs on their ears and the distinctive whiskers. |
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| Obverse | |
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The obverse design of the coin re-creates the obverse of the famous Spanish dollar (also known as the "piece of eight"), which was widely used as the first international currency from the 16th to 19th centuries. It displays two hemispheres of a world map, crowned between the Pillars of Hercules; the two pillars are also crowned.
On ribbons wrapping the columns, the PLUS VLTRA motto. "Plus ultra" (spelled with V for the second U, as in old Latin) is a Latin phrase and the national motto of Spain. A reversal of the original phrase "non plus ultra" ("Nothing further beyond"), said to have been inscribed as a warning on the Pillars of Hercules at the Strait of Gibraltar (which marked the edge of the known world in antiquity), it has metaphorical suggestions of taking risks and striving for excellence. Its original version, the personal motto of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, also Duke of Burgundy and King of Spain (as Carlos I), was "Plus oultre" in French. The motto was adopted some decades after the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus.
Around above, the legend of the ruling monarch: FELIPE VI REY DE ESPAÑA (Felipe the Sixth, King of Spain).
Around below, the precious metal content of the coin: 1/10 ONZA 999,9 ORO (one tenth of a troy ounce of 99.99% gold). |
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| Reverse | |
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The reverse design of the coin features the head of an Iberian lynx.
Above, the face value 15 EURO CENT. Around below, LINCE IBÉRICO (Iberian lynx).
On the left, the crowned M mint mark of the Royal Mint of Spain, below which the date of issue 2022. |
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| Reverse Inscription |
15 EURO CENT LINCE IBÉRICO 2022 |
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| Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | Finish: reverse proof.
Packaging: in coin capsule. |
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| See also |
Modern Spanish bullion coins (the so-called Doubloon series):
- 1 oz Gold, Iberian Lynx, 2021
- 1 oz Gold, Bull, 2022
- 1/10 oz Gold, Iberian Lynx, 2022
- 1 oz Gold, Carthusian Horse, 2023
- 1/10 oz Gold, Bull, 2023
- 1 oz Gold, Imperial Eagle, 2024
- 1/10 oz Gold, Carthusian Horse, 2024
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