One of the British Pobjoy Mint’s latest releases is a rare one from the British Antarctic Territory (BAT), a zone of the Antarctic continent claimed by Britain, that only issued its first ever legal tender coin in 2008 to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The Pobjoy Mint was responsible for that, and for most of the coins released since, which brings us to this latest release featuring the incredible Sperm Whale.

Pobjoy has released several coins featuring marine life for the BAT, most notably a 2014 Orca coin, and a 2015 Hourglass Dolphin coin, both in silver. This new debut follows the same pattern but is also issued to commemorate the 165th anniversary of Herman Melville’s hugely well regarded novel, Moby Dick, the story of Captain Ahab’s obsessive quest for a white whale.

The coin has a clean design, free of excessive inscriptions, and we’re hoping to get some images of this one in Berlin in a couple of weeks as these images really don’t do the coin justice (as usual). Unusually, the Pobjoy Mint has produced its own effigy of Queen Elizabeth II instead of continuing with the iconic Ian Rank Broadley one, or moving over to the Royal Mints new Jody Clark design, although what the Royal Mint is charging others to use it we don’t know, so that could be a reason. It’s recognisable as QEII, but isn’t going to trouble the Clark effort. Packaging is in the Pobjoy red box which are good quality. Available now for £41.63 +vat, a CuNi version that ships in a blue pouch and has an unlimited mintage, is also available fo £12.46 +vat.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

Described as the greatest piece of literature ever written in English we celebrate Moby Dick’s Sperm Whale with the release of a new coin commemorating the 165th anniversary of the publishing of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.
The story, first published in London on October 18th 1851, tells the tale of the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab and the hunt for the albino Sperm Whale that destroyed his ship and severed his leg at the knee during a previous voyage. Whaling is, of course, the focus of Moby-Dick, but it is said that this is simply a metaphor for existence.

From the early eighteenth century through the late 20th, this species was a prime target of whalers. The head of the whale contains a liquid wax called spermaceti, from which the whale derives its name. Spermaceti was used in lubricants, oil lamps, and candles. Ambergris, a waste product from its digestive system, is still used as a fixative in perfumes. The species is now protected by a whaling moratorium, and is currently listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN).

Sperm whales, (Physeter macrocephalus), or cachalot can be found anywhere in the open ocean and are easily recognised by their massive heads and prominent rounded foreheads. They have the largest brain of any creature known to have lived on Earth. They are also known to dive as deep as 1,000 metres in search of squid to eat. To accomplish this, whales may have to hold their breath for up to 90 minutes.

The British Arctic territory has released less than twenty coins in total making them an exceptionally rare coin and a great collectible.

REVERSE: The design on the coin features a sperm whale swimming in Antarctic waters with the sun shown setting behind the icebergs.

OBVERSE: The obverse of each coin features the new effigy design of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II exclusively by Pobjoy Mint.

PACKAGING: The Silver version is encapsulated in an acrylic capsule for protection and housed in a stunning red box accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

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SPECIFICATION