Coin | Silver Ounce 2020 Hahave - Flying Fish |
---|
|
Tokelau, known previously as the Tokelau Islands, is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It uses the New Zealand Dollar as circulation currency, but has been issuing a variety of non-circulating coins since 1978, and has also authorised some foreign mints to issue bullion coins under its jurisdiction.
The silver ounce (abbreviated as 1 oz) is an internationally popular format, and is denominated as Five Dollars.
This design is the seventh issue in a twelve-year series of bullion coins called Marine Life (or Tokelau Sealife), and features the Flying Fish.
The Exocoetidae are a family of marine fish in the order Beloniformes class Actinopterygii, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven to nine genera. While they cannot fly in the same way a bird does, flying fish can make powerful, self-propelled leaps out of the water where their long wing-like fins enable gliding for considerable distances above the water's surface. The main reason for this behaviour is thought to be to escape from underwater predators. |
|
Obverse | |
The obverse of the coin shows the crowned mature head of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (her effigy known as the "Fourth Portrait"). The Queen wears the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" diamond tiara, a wedding gift from Queen Mary (Her Majesty's grandmother) in 1947 - which she also has on the Machin and the Gottwald portraits.
In small letters below the head, the artist's initials IRB (for Ian Rank-Broadley).
Around the effigy is the monarch's legend, the date of issue and the value: ~ ELIZABETH II ~ TOKELAU 2020 ~ FIVE DOLLARS.
Above the value and denomination, divided by the Queen's portrait, the precious metal content: 1 oz. 999 SILVER (one troy ounce of 99.9% silver).
Below the Queen's effigy, the national badge of Tokelau depicting a "tuluma" - a traditional Tokelauan carved wooden “tackle box” used by local fishermen. A cross in the centre of the tuluma and the inscription below, TOKELAU MO TE ATUA ("Tokelau for God") reflect the strong influence of Christianity in Tokelau.
The rim is decorated with a geometric pattern. |
|
|
Reverse | |
The reverse design depicts two flying fish soaring above the waves, one in the foreground and the second one a little smaller and in the background.
Around above, the inscription HAHAVE (the name of the fish in the local language of Tokelau); around below, FLYING FISH.
The background is decorated with net-like thin lines representing the water of the ocean. |
|
Reverse Inscription |
HAHAVE FLYING FISH |
---|
|
Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
|
Notes | Finish: bullion (Brilliant Uncirculated). Packaging: loose, or 20 coins in mint tube.
This year marks a change in the series. It was initially developed by Australian company Treasures of Oz, with the silver coins struck by the Highland Mint and gold mini-coins by B.H. Mayer. Starting in 2020, the series became an APMEX project, with a new design style of both the reverse and the obverse of the coins; a large one-ounce version of each design in gold was also introduced.. |
---|
|
See also |
Coins in the Marine Life series include: - 1 oz Silver, Kakahi - Yellowfin Tuna, 2014 - 1/2 oz Silver, Kakahi - Yellowfin Tuna, 2014 - 0.5 g Gold, Kakahi - Yellowfin Tuna, 2015 - 1 oz Silver, Mokoha - Great White Shark, 2015 - 0.5 Gold, Mokoha - Great White Shark, 2015 - 1 oz Silver, Hakula - Sailfish, 2016 - 1 oz Silver, Kapoa - Barracuda, 2017 - 1 oz Silver, Mago-Taguta - Leopard Shark, 2018 - 1 oz Silver, Fonu - Loggerhead, 2019 - 1 oz Gold, Hahave - Flying Fish, 2020 - 1 oz Silver, Hahave - Flying Fish, 2020 - 1 oz Gold, Tautu - Porcupine Fish, 2021 - 1 oz Silver, Tautu - Porcupine Fish, 2021 - 1 oz Gold, Hakuhakulele - Lionfish, 2022 - 1 oz Silver, Hakuhakulele - Lionfish, 2022
|
---|
|