Nailed it! PAMP expands its Hunters of the Deep shark-shaped coin series with the Hammerhead

The second of PAMP’s new “Hunters of the deep” series of shaped silver coins is now with us. After the debut of the iconic Great White Shark a few months ago, it’s the turn off one of the more unusual members of this incredible family of predatory fish – the Great Hammerhead.

These are shaped coins, although not what we would tag as ‘dimensional’ as they retain the level of relief and style of strike that you would expect from a traditional issue. Weighing in at a troy ounce – you’d need 18,000 or more to match the weight of a big adult shark – it has a reverse proof finish and a good level of detail. A different pose to the previous Great White coin, it’s good to see the mint mix it up a little rather than churn out a parade of subtly different designs.

As before, the coin comes in a custom shaped capsule, all presented in an information packed double gatefold CD-style booklet. Clearly aimed right at the nature fan, we can see the younger collector finding these very appealing. The first issue sold out its 2,500 mintage in short order, and while this one is only releasing today, the mint is claiming almost 90% have been pre-ordered already. Retailing around the $100 mark, it will be followed in a couple of months by the third and last issue, the Tiger Shark. If you’re more into our feathered friends, PAMP have a companion series called Hunters of the Sky, with the Bald Eagle being its sole representative at present, although more are yet to come.

GREAT HAMMERHEAD SHARK

The great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) is the largest species of hammerhead shark, belonging to the family Sphyrnidae, attaining a maximum length of 6.1 m (20 ft). It is found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide, inhabiting coastal areas and the continental shelf. The great hammerhead can be distinguished from other hammerheads by the shape of its “hammer” (called the “cephalofoil”), which is wide with an almost straight front margin, and by its tall, sickle-shaped first dorsal fin. A solitary, strong-swimming apex predator, the great hammerhead feeds on a wide variety of prey ranging from crustaceans and cephalopods, to bony fish, to smaller sharks. Observations of this species in the wild suggest that the cephalofoil functions to immobilize stingrays, a favoured prey. This species has a viviparous mode of reproduction, bearing litters of up to 55 pups every two years.

Although potentially dangerous, the great hammerhead rarely attacks humans. It sometimes behaves inquisitively toward divers and should be treated with respect. This shark is heavily fished for its large fins, which are extremely valuable on the Asian market as the main ingredient of shark fin soup. As a result, great hammerhead populations are declining substantially worldwide, and it has been assessed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (Wikipedia)

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $2 (Solomon Islands)
COMPOSITION 0.9999 silver
WEIGHT 31.1 grams
DIMENSIONS 61.9 x 51.3 mm
FINISH Reverse-proof
MODIFICATIONS Shaped coin
MINTAGE 2,500
BOX / C.O.A. Yes / Yes
MANFRA, TORDELLA & BROOKES