Coin | Silver Ounce 2022 Deadly and Dangerous - Red-Bellied Black Snake |
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The Tuvaluan Dollar is the currency of Tuvalu - a small nation in the Pacific Ocean. Tuvalu has never had banknotes of its own, and has been issuing coins since 1976; these circulate together with coins of the Australian Dollar, which is also legal tender in the country, and to which the Tuvaluan Dollar is pegged.
The Australian Perth Mint issues a large variety of non-circulating legal tender coins under the authority of Tuvalu. Some of these are in the silver ounce format (abbreviated as 1 oz). Strictly speaking, they are not bullion as they are priced at a premium and are targeted at collectors who appreciate them for their artistic merit and collectable value and not just for their precious metal content.
This coin is part of the Deadly and Dangerous series featuring native Australian animals, and shows a Red-Bellied Black Snake.
Snakes have always frightened people. There are countless movies and books where characters have terrifying encounters with them. Most of us have come across these slithering creatures in our own lives, too. When you see a red-bellied black snake, chances are you will freeze in fear. These are truly intimidating-looking serpents even though they are quite shy and prefer to be left alone. And while they are venomous, luckily no deaths have ever been reported from red-bellied snake bites.
The Perth Mint says about the coin: The Deadly and Dangerous series features some of Australia's most terrifying creatures. A true Australian by nature, the Red-bellied Black Snake is a sun and water lover! Common in woodlands, swamps and forests and indigenous to Australia’s eastern regions, it is one of the most commonly encountered venomous snakes. On average 1.25m in length it has smooth, glossy black scales that are highlighted by bright reds and oranges at its flanks ‐ fading to a dull red belly. A truly eye‐catching reptile, it certainly rings true that the most beautiful creatures on Earth are the deadliest. |
Mint | Perth Mint |
Mint Mark | No mint mark |
Total Mintage |
2,500
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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: QUEEN ELIZABETH II 1 oz 9999 Ag 2022 TUVALU 1 DOLLAR.
The inscription around the rim also incorporates the precious metal content. "1 oz 9999 Ag" means "one ounce of 99.99% silver" ("Ag" is abbreviated from Argentum, the Latin word for silver). |
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Reverse | |
The coin’s reverse is coloured and depicts a snake ready to strike.
Above right, the inscription AUSTRALIA’S RED-BELLIED BLACK SNAKE.
The precious metal content, face value and date of issue are on the obverse. |
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Reverse Inscription |
AUSTRALIA’S RED-BELLIED BLACK SNAKE |
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Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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Notes | Finish: proof, coloured. Packaging: in timber presentation box with illustrated outer shipper, and a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Perth Mint SKU: 22M48AAA Issue price: AU$ 169.00
The Perth Mint calls the coins in the series "Commissioned Products" with no further information on who commissioned them; uncharacteristically (probably reflecting this fact), there is no mint mark on them either. There is no available primary information on this series; it seems that the coins are commissioned by the Australian company Downies, with the silver coins being struck by the Perth Mint and the gold coins in the series (some with the same designs) by PAMP. |
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See also |
Coins in the Deadly and Dangerous series are issued for a number of counties and include (ordered by year / metal / size / country): - 1 oz Silver, Red-Back Spider, Tuvalu 2006 - 1 oz Silver, Great White Shark, Tuvalu 2007 - 1 oz Silver, Blue-Ringed Octopus, Tuvalu 2008 - 1 oz Silver, Saltwater Crocodile, Tuvalu 2009 - 1 oz Silver, Eastern Brown Snake, Tuvalu 2010 - 1 oz Silver, Box Jellyfish, Tuvalu 2011 - 1 oz Silver, Red-Back Spider (Russian version), Tuvalu 2011 - 1 oz Silver, Great White Shark (Russian version), Tuvalu 2011 - 1 oz Silver, Blue-Ringed Octopus (Russian version), Tuvalu 2011 - 1 oz Silver, Saltwater Crocodile (Russian version), Tuvalu 2011 - 1 oz Silver, Eastern Brown Snake (Russian version), Tuvalu 2011 - 0.5 g Gold, Red-Back Spider, Tokelau 2012 - 0.5 g Gold, Great White Shark, Tokelau 2012 - 0.5 g Gold, Blue-Ringed Octopus, Tokelau 2012 - 0.5 g Gold, Saltwater Crocodile, Tokelau 2012 - 0.5 g Gold, Eastern Brown Snake, Tokelau 2012 - 0.5 g Gold, Box Jellyfish, Tokelau 2012 - 1 oz Silver, Funnel-Web Spider, Tuvalu 2012 - 1 oz Silver, Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake, Tuvalu 2013 - 1 oz Silver, Spider-Hunting Scorpion, Tuvalu 2014 - 1 oz Silver, Bull Ant, Tuvalu 2015 - 1 oz Silver, Death Adder, Tuvalu 2016 - 1 oz Silver, Bull Shark, Tuvalu 2017 - 1 oz Gold, Red-Back Spider, Niue 2018 - 1 oz Silver, Dingo, Tuvalu 2018 - 0.5 g Gold, Red-Back Spider, Solomon Islands 2019 - 0.5 g Gold, Great White Shark, Solomon Islands 2019 - 0.5 g Gold, Blue-Ringed Octopus, Solomon Islands 2019 - 0.5 g Gold, Saltwater Crocodile, Solomon Islands 2019 - 0.5 g Gold, Eastern Brown Snake, Solomon Islands 2019 - 0.5 g Gold, Dingo, Solomon Islands 2019 - 0.5 g Gold, Spider-Hunting Scorpion, Solomon Islands 2019 - 1 oz Silver, Lionfish, Tuvalu 2019 - 5 oz Gold, Red-Back Spider, Niue 2020 - 5 oz Silver, Red-Back Spider, Niue 2020 - 1 oz Gold, Tarantula, Niue 2020 - 1 oz Silver, Tarantula, Tuvalu 2020 - 1 oz Gold, Stingray, Niue 2021 - 0.5 g Gold, Box Jellyfish, Solomon Islands 2021 - 0.5 g Gold, Funnel-web Spider, Solomon Islands 2021 - 0.5 g Gold, Bull Ant, Solomon Islands 2021 - 0.5 g Gold, Death Adder, Solomon Islands 2021 - 0.5 g Gold, Bull Shark, Solomon Islands 2021 - 0.5 g Gold, Lionfish, Solomon Islands 2021 - 0.5 g Gold, Stingray, Solomon Islands 2021 - 1 oz Silver, Stingray, Tuvalu 2021 - 1 oz Gold, Red-Bellied Black Snake, Niue 2022 - 1 oz Silver, Red-Bellied Black Snake, Tuvalu 2022 - 1 oz Gold, Tiger Shark, Niue 2023 - 1 oz Silver, Tiger Shark, Tuvalu 2023 - 1 oz Silver, Bluebottle, Tuvalu 2024
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