Pobjoy launches the American Flamingo bullion coin series for the British Virgin Islands in gold and silver

Another new bullion coin joins the ever swelling 2021 ranks and it’s the British Pobjoy Mint doing the swelling. Over the last few years, Pobjoy has increased its offerings of bullion issued for the various British Overseas Territories in its portfolio, like the Turtle, Mayflower and the Pegasus. Joining that selection is the American Flamingo.

A great choice of subject for a coin, the Flamingo is utterly distinctive in appearance, and is widely known around the world. The American sub-species, also called the Caribbean Flamingo, is the only one that lives in the continental USA, inhabiting parts of Louisiana and Southern Florida, as well as many of the larger Caribbean islands. Images of these awkward looking animals standing in shallow water are about as iconic as it gets in the bird world.

Pobjoy have sensibly chosen that look for the coin and it works well. We’re hampered by the usual low quality of the official images, but hopefully the official distributor, APMEX, will have some better ones up soon. We’re certainly hopeful that this will be a good looker in the hand. The obverse carries Pobjoy’s own effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

The one ounce 0.999 silver coin has a reverse-frosted finish, and a mintage of just 10,000 pieces. The one ounce 0.999 gold is capped at just 100 units, and has a prooflike finish. Making up the range is a minigold (0.5 gram) with a prooflike finish and a 199 mintage, and that one is presented boxed with a Certificate of Authenticity. Available now, this is an APMEXclusive, but will likely appear at other dealers as well. We’ll update with better images if we get them.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

We are thrilled to announce a new 2021 silver bullion coin featuring flamingos and for the first time produced in a unique reverse frosted background. The coin has been issued on behalf of the British Virgin Islands Government. The design of the coin shows the endemic American flamingo standing on one leg with a flock of flamingos in the background. American flamingos are a large species also known as the Caribbean Flamingo. Most of this birds’ plumage is pink, giving rise to its earlier name of ‘rosy flamingo’. The wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. The bill of this particular species is pink and white with an extensively black tip while its legs are entirely pink.

The word ‘flamingo’ comes from the Portuguese/Spanish ‘flamengo’ meaning ‘flamecoloured’ which is particularly apt for this bird with its pink or reddish colour coming from carotenoids in their diet of animal or plant plankton. They are very social birds who live in colonies which can number in the thousands and they are often seen standing on one leg while the other is tucked beneath their body. Bullion coins are always a very attractive purchase due to their intrinsic metal value and with this design featuring a new enhanced reverse cameo finish, it is an even more attractive purchase.