1oz Turtle Silver Coin

Description

The Hawksbill turtle, known in the South Pacific as the Taku, is a beautiful sea turtle that is native to the waters around Fiji. Occasionally the animal is spotted in the Cook Straight near the Cook Islands, and routinely migrates the shores of northern New Zealand as well. Named for the sharp beak on its head, the Hawksbill is famous for the bright, brilliant colors that adorn its shell.

The New Zealand Mint introduced this bullion coin in 2010, and produces it to standards similar to those of the American Silver Eagle and Canadian Silver Maple Leaf. Each year, the image on the obverse face of the coin remains the same.

A major difference between this coin and other bullion programs is the limited mintage. While several million American Eagle and Canadian Maple Leaf coins are struck each year, the New Zealand Mint tightly restricts the mintage of these coins.

On the obverse face is the image of a Hawksbill turtle as it swims through the warm waters of the South Pacific. A small sliver of the coin’s left side has a mirror-like finish with the word “Turtle” engraved within it, while the majority of the obverse has a frosted finish to differentiate the water from the turtle.

The reverse face bears Ian Rank-Broadley’s image of Queen Elizabeth II. His right-profile portrait of Her Majesty was created in 1998, and the design includes engravings of Her Majesty’s name, the nation of issue, face value, and year of issue.