TOKELAU SEALIFE (2014-) by APMEX/Highland Mint

A twelve-coin bullion series that issues a single design every year, Tokelau Sealife debuted in 2014 to a mixed reception. Buyers seemed to like the design, but there were soon comments regarding the quality of the prooflike coin circulating around the forums. This resulted in a change to a satin finish, seen as a way of minimising the look of flaws. Fortunately, the series quality picked up rapidly, keeping the satin finish until 2020.

Fortunately, the series, which looks at sealife around the Oceanic island nation Tokelau, has a solid artistic foundation, with each of the issues to date showing a fine grasp of subject anatomy and habitat. Indeed, many would make good proof coins. Initially the brainchild of Perth-based producer, Treasures of Oz, the silver coins are struck in the US at the Highland Mint.

Just a single format originally made up the series, and it’s the classic one-ounce silver. There was a half-ounce of the Yellowfin Tuna coin with a 250k mintage, but that was the only one to appear, and it hasn’t returned. Treasures of Oz also produced 0.5 gram minigold proof variants of the first two designs as well, a format they do have a lot of experience with, but again, they haven’t continued. As for mintages of the main attraction, after an initial 500,000 units, we’ve seen a rapid decline as the overall market has changed. A sensible approach we believe.

The producer changed the core design of the series in 2020, with a new obverse, patterned backgrounds, and the addition of a one-ounce gold version to run alongside the silver. Mintages that year were a much more palatable 20,000 silver and 100 gold, with subsequent silver releases down to 10,000 units. The series now appears more modern, with the excellent fish depictions remaining, but the satin finish getting kicked to the kerb. It’s also now an exclusive coin to US mega-dealer, APMEX.

SILVER (one-ounce)

2014 KAKAHI YELLOWFIN TUNA

MINTAGE: 500,000

2015 MOKOHA GREAT WHITE SHARK

MINTAGE: 500,000

2016 HAKULA SAILFISH

MINTAGE: 250,000

2017 KAPOA BARRACUDA

MINTAGE: 250,000

2018 MAGO-TAGUTA LEOPARD SHARK

MINTAGE: 20,000

2019 FONU LOGGERHEAD TURTLE

MINTAGE: 20,000

2020 HAHAVE FLYING FISH

MINTAGE: 20,000

2021 TAUTU PORCUPINE FISH

MINTAGE: 10,000

2022 HAKUHAKULELE LIONFISH

MINTAGE: 10,000

2024 LAULAUFAU LONGFIN BANNERFISH

MINTAGE: 10,000

From this line-up, you can clearly see the change in artistic direction that came about with the issue of the 2020 range. The eschewing of the natural environment background for a heavily patterned texture is one sure to divide opinion. For me, while the fish artwork remains excellent, the background is distracting. We’d dial it back a bit, although the end result is quite striking if you like it ‘in yer face’. There doesn’t appear to have been a 2023 release, but we’re assuming the series will continue to its twelve-coin end at least.

GOLD (one-ounce)

2020 HAHAVE FLYING FISH

MINTAGE: 100

2021 TAUTU PORCUPINE FISH

MINTAGE: 100

2022 HAKUHAKULELE LIONFISH

MINTAGE: 100

2024 LAULAUFAU LONGFIN BANNERFISH

MINTAGE: 100

It was only when the series went to being an APMEXclusive that we were offered a one-ounce gold variant. Despite the tiny mintage of just 100 pieces, these are struck to a standard brilliant uncirculated finish, and are supplied in a capsule only. The reverse designs are identical to the silver coins.

GOLD (half-gram)

2014 KAKAHI YELLOWFIN TUNA

2015 MOKOHA GREAT WHITE SHARK

The original producer of the coin, Treasures of Oz, issued a minigold 0.5 gram variant in a proof finish. Even at only 11 mm in diameter, they did a good job of reproducing the admittedly quite simple artwork. Unfortunately, they lasted only two years, so obviously not that popular.

OBVERSE EVOLUTION

SILVER 2014-2019

MINIGOLD 2014-2019

SILVER 2020-2022

GOLD 2020-2022

SILVER 2024+

GOLD 2024+

The change to distribution also led to a fundamental change in design, and that also extended to the obverse. It’s a more complex looking design with its patterned border, but in other regards is pretty much the same. In 2024, the effigy changed to that of King Charles III, with some strange differences in the layout of the lower half.

SPECIFICATION

TOKELAU SEALIFE SERIES
COIN RANGE 2014-2019 2014 ONLY 2020-ONWARDS
DENOMINATION $5 NZD (Tokelau) $2 NZD (Tokelau) $100 NZD (Tokelau)
COMPOSITION 0.999 silver 0.999 silver 0.999 gold
WEIGHT 31.1 grams 15.55 grams 31.1 grams
DIMENSIONS 38.61 mm 30.0 mm 34.0 mm
FINISH Uncirculated Uncirculated Uncirculated
MINTAGE 10,000 to 500,000 250,000 100