Niue’s look at reef fish in coin form continues with the beautiful Moorish Idol

A new series for 2018 and now three coins in, Reef Fish highlights some of the more colourful and popular fish that inhabit coral reef environments around the world. We’ve already seen the Triggerfish and the Angelfish, and now it’s the turn of the beautiful Moorish Idol to take centre stage. This range is fairly standard with regards to the format used – a simple one-ounce proof coin with selective colouration – but it works well and the ‘wet-look’ the mint has applied gives it added ‘pop’

Like most New Zealand Mint issues, the presentation is top notch. Regular readers will know we love the solid acrylic blocks that they use and they seem doubley appropriate for an aquarium fish. The outer shipper is neat and themed and the mintage is capped at 3,000 pieces. A serialised certificate of authenticity is enclosed. The $80 USD is available now.

The Moorish Idol is widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical reefs and lagoons of the Indo-Pacific. It got its name from the Moors of Africa who believed the fish brought happiness. They have a compressed, disc-like body, coloured with contrasting bands of black, white, and yellow. They grow up to 23 cm in length. They feed on sponges, coral polyps, tunicates, and other benthic invertebrates.