The Mint of Polands ten-piece series of animal coins called S.O.S. Endangered Animal Species was a minor hit last year and was , we thought, to be a self-contained series. Well it seems the mint has other ideas and has just launched its first 2016-dated coin in the same format. In what could almost be a signature format, the coins are struck as a 38.6mm/17.5g fine silver round, with selective colouring on the reverse face. This particular series has deviated from that slightly by having embedded within it a small coloured Swarovski crystal. While we’re not normally fans of these, they often look poorly integrated into the artwork, the mint has done a great job of using them as an integral part of the design, actually representing the lens of a magnifying glass over a clean struck world map that highlights where the animal lives. They are coloured to match the animal in question and not intrusive in any way..

This Asiatic Elephant coin is either the first of a new series for 2016, the eleventh in a ten-coin set (?), or simply an extra coin using the same theme. Designed by Dobrochna Surajewska who we know designed at the very least two of the original series, it matches those that have come before exactly, and that’s no bad thing. A good design, well coloured without being overpowered by it, we reckon collectors of the others will snap this one up.

The coloured cylindrical box has gone however, replaced by the Mint of Polands new standard coin box, fortunately a good quality item, including a Certificate of Authenticity, and all still packaged in a very well done coloured shipper box. Prices will be in the €70-80 range, not the cheapest for the size, but reasonable enough given the adornment. Available to order now at dealers worldwide.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

The Mint of Poland is pleased to present a consecutive collector coin from the series “SOS to the World – Endangered Animal Species”. This unique souvenir token featuring an Asian elephant – one of the biggest mammals in the world – reminds us about the fragile beauty of living things being on the verge of extinction.
The coin enchants with its silver gleams and precise finishing. Thanks to high-end digital printing, the images of Asian elephants depicted on the reverse look extremely lifelike. Decorative surface in the background alludes to the evergreen forests of Asia – the natural habitat of these giant herbivores. Gleaming with a beautiful smoky color, a SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal shows the regional distribution of the species on the map of the world.

The coin is accompanied by a specially designed presentation case, pleasantly decorated with the images of impressive Asian elephants. Asian elephants weight up to 11,000 pounds and grow up to 10 feet tall. Their muddy-grey coloration camouflages them in a shady habitat. Dexterous trunks of these giant animals are extremely versatile: with the use of their ‘additional limb’ consisting of more than 40,000 muscles they can tear down trees, or… pick up a blade of grass!

Asian elephants display a variety of behaviors and emotions, like grief, altruism, compassion, memory and language. They communicate via rumbles and bellows, but can also produce long-range infrasounds that travel up to several miles. Since 1986 these beautiful animals have been included in the IUCN Red Data Book as an endangered animal species.