Dutch coin producer Numiscollect has released the third in their Birding series of half-ounce coloured silver coins. The series jumps from continent to continent featuring one of the highlight bird species that live there. Starting out with the Lila Brested Roller, last year saw the European Kingfisher featured, and this year has the magnificent Saker Falcon adorning a coin. Unusually for coin series such as these, each piece is issued for a country on the continent in question. The Roller coin was issued for the African country Burkina Faso, the Kingfisher for the European state of Andorra (actually the first commemorated from Andorra actually issued with a Euro denomination) and this Saker Falcon coin for Mongolia. It’s a nice touch that adds extra variety to the collection.

The magnificent Saker Falcon has appeared on a few coins of late. Also issued for Mongolia was CIT’s gilded silver, silhouette cutout coin, along with a small 0.5g gold one. The Czech Mint also recently launched one of similar style to this Numiscollect issue, but not as well done in our opinion. This is another really nice wildlife coin from the Dutch company, the best of the three to date for me, and equally limited to just 1,000 pieces. It depicts the bird in flight along with a small globe set to the Asian continent. Also present is a photographer with a tripod mounted camera, the only thing that should be pointed at a bird. Supplied boxed and with a certificate of authenticity, the coin is available to order now from the usual Numiscollect dealers and sells for around the €80 mark.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

The saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is a very large falcon. Saker falcons have brown upperbellies and contrasting grey flight feathers. The head and underparts are paler brown, with streaking from the breast down. Males (called sakrets in falconry) and females are similar, as are young birds, although these tend to be a duller brown. The call is a sharp kiy-ee.

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SPECIFICATION

DENOMINATION COMPOSITION WEIGHT DIAMETER FINISH MINTAGE BOX / COA
250 TUGRIK 0.999 SILVER 15.55 g 38.61 mm PROOF 1,000 YES / YES