WORLD’S WILDLIFE (2019) by Emporium Hamburg

The first in the series was the one that first drew our attention to it as something a bit different. The depiction of the Giraffe is quite unusual and extremely well done. Normally, this animal is shown standing around looking sedate and dopey, but this view of the creature running hard into a turn is both unexpected and neat. A quite spectacular animal, the Giraffe is the world’s tallest at well over 5.5 metres in height. They also have an 45 cm tongue! Despite their ungainly appearance, they are capable of running at 60 km/h, even maintaining 50 km/h for several kilometres. The coin does a great job of showing that.

Another cool design showing an iconic animal engaging in iconic behaviour. There are few more spectacular sights than a Humpback Whale breaching the surface, and the coin artist has done a great job showing that off, especially given the size of the canvas they had to work with. While the coin doesn’t specifically state it’s a Humpback Whale, that’s almost certainly the case. Breaching isn’t a universal act for whales – the Blue Whale rarely does it, for example – and most whale watching is centred around this playful animal. It doesn’t reach the sheer size of a Blue, but the Humpback can exceed 40 tonnes in weight. Thankfully, we treat them better these days, although some backwards countries still allow hunting.

Made famous by its association with the United States, the Bald Eagle is a beautiful predatory bird named after its white head plumage. The bald means ‘piebald’ not actual ‘bald’ (think Leslie Nielsen rather than Telly Savalas…). Adorning many US coins, and a few Canadians, the bird is an icon of the numismatic world. This one has a fair bit to live up to, then. It’s actually a pretty nice design, especially for a bullion coin. Completely eschewing the heraldic look for an eagle in its natural habitat, it fits in well with the style of the previous two issues, showing actual behaviour rather than just a portrait.

One of the most potent terrestrial predators on the planet, the Grizzly Bear is a giant in its environment, deserving of much respect. Adult males can reach 550 kg in weight, especially those feeding primarily on salmon, and in excess of 2 metres in length. They inhabit much of the Northern Hemisphere, and have an omnivorous diet, eating everything from berries to caribou. The bear is no stranger to the modern coin world, but rare in bullion, so we’re fortunate that Emporium Hamburg has done so a good job with the depiction here. The habitat in the background is well-chosen, and the bear is anatomically first-class, the pose a perfect encapsulation of our idea of this animal.

Ocean rays, also known as marine rays, are a fascinating group of cartilaginous fishes that are closely related to sharks and belong to the same class, Elasmobranchii. Ocean rays are known for their flattened bodies, which are perfectly adapted for life on the seabed. They possess broad pectoral fins that resemble wings, enabling them to gracefully glide through the water. These rays come in a variety of sizes, from the relatively small butterfly rays to the enormous manta rays, which can reach widths over 7m. The coin depiction is a dramatic breaching Manta Ray.

Few animals reach the legendary status of the Peregrine Falcon, and for good reason. This crow-sized raptor is fast – as in really fast. Peregrines hunt using a high-speed dive, and they regularly exceed 320 km/h (200mph) when doing so, with one having been timed at 389 km/h. It isn’t much of a stretch to believe that 400 km/h is within reach. In addition, it’s also found in more places on Earth than any other raptor, indeed, more than any other bird except the pigeon, which is a prey item for it. A terrific depiction of this amazing bird on the coin, and it’s nice to see all the background make it onto every variant.

One of the most powerful predators on the planet is done great service on the 2025 coin with this excellent portrayal showing a male lion casually gazing out over his territory. The gilded and cleanly struck variants benefit from an unencumbered layout, but the coloured coin also looks good with its environment giving added context to the pose.

The Great White Shark needs no introduction, having gained unfair notoriety in the film Jaws. The image here is brilliant, depicting probably the last thing a penguin sees should it encounter the Great White Shark on a bad day! Singularly focused, and with the extensive, multi-layered dentition we all notice straight away, this close-up of a breaching shark fills the coin perfectly, something a more general view of the whole animal couldn’t.

In a typical Congo obverse there’s a border that holds the inscribed issuing country, and the denomination of 20 Francs, although in this case, the coin composition is also inscribed here. The coat of arms of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one that has changed quite a few times, with the latest version having its origins in 2006 under the rule of President Joseph Kabila.

It depicts a leopard head, surrounded by an elephant tusk to the left and a spear to the right. Below are the three words which make up the national motto: Justice, Paix, Travail (Justice, Peace, Work in French).