Perth Mint has been releasing some stunning coins celebrating five fascinating reef dwellers from the amazing Australia sea life coin series. The first coin is the Lionfish coin and already sold out by now. The current release of the coin in this series depict a Leafy Sea Dragon. The future release will be Clownfish (January 2010), Seahorse (March 2010) and Moray Eel (May 2010). The coin is struck by The Perth Mint from 1/2oz of 99.9% pure silver in proof quality.
The leafy sea dragon, Phycodurus eques, is a marine fish in the family Syngnathidae, which also includes the seahorses. It is the only member of the genus Phycodurus. It is found along the southern and western coasts of Australia. The name is derived from the appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body. These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. The leafy sea dragon propels itself by means of a pectoral fin on the ridge of its neck and a dorsal fin on its back closer to the tail end. These small fins are almost completely transparent and difficult to see as they undulate minutely to move the creature sedately through the water, completing the illusion of floating seaweed.
Leafy sea dragon's feed on plankton and small crustaceans. The lobes of skin that grow on the leafy sea dragon give it the appearance of seaweed, allowing it to camouflage with its surroundings. Its leafy appearance also enables it to appear to move through the water like a piece of floating seaweed. It can also change colour to blend in, but this ability relies on the sea dragon's diet, age, location, and stress level. The creature has a long, pipe-like snout that it uses to feed. It primarily eats crustaceans including plankton and mysids, but its diet also includes shrimp and small fish. It catches its prey using its ability to be camouflaged. Leafy sea dragons oddly enough do not have teeth, which is rare amongst animals that eat small fish and shrimp.
Reverse: The coin’s reverse portrays a Leafy Sea Dragon in colour. With leaf-like appendages for camouflage, these beautiful fish display remarkable parenting behaviour. After the female develops her eggs, the male takes responsibility for incubating them under his tail. Between 30 and 40cm in length, Leafy Sea Dragons are endemic to temperate waters around southern Australia. The coin’s reverse also incorporates The Perth Mint’s historic ‘P’ mintmark.
Obverse: Issued as legal tender under the Australian Currency Act 1965, the coin bears the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the 2009 year-date on the obverse.
Technical Specifications:
Silver Content (Troy oz) 0.5
Monetary Denomination (AUD) 0.5
Fineness (% purity) 99.9
Minimum Gross Weight (g) 15.573
Maximum Diameter (mm) 36.6
Maximum Thickness (mm) 2.3
This coin is available online and no more than 10,000 Leafy Sea Dragon coins will be released by The Perth Mint. Each coin is housed in a presentation case which comes in a colourfully illustrated box-shipper. When lined-up in release order, the shipper illustrations form a linked image depicting all five reef creatures. Each coin also accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.
Source: Perth Mint, Wikipedia
Source: Perth Mint, Wikipedia
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