Nepal 250 Rupees Musk Deer The Kingdom of Nepal has produced a 250 Rupees silver coin for the World Wildlife Fund 25th Anniversary that displays the unusual Siberian Musk deer ( MOSCHUS MOSCHIFERUS ) which is one of several kinds of Musk Deer both living and extinct. The species is interesting for a number of reasons, the first being that is it not a deer at all, of the family Cervidae and which have antlers, but the family of Moschus. The have an interesting and prehistoric looking set of fang teeth, and a powerful musk gland that is perceptible by humans to the dilution of 1 part per 3000. This makes the animal very valuable and highly poached, putting in on the "Vulnerable" category in its conservation status. It is mostly a nocturnal animal and ranged from Korea to Mongolia. The coin is 0.925 silver, with a smallish weight of 19.44g and a 36mm diameter, proof qulaity produced by the British royal Mint. I've had some practice now with the GIMP and the Camera so i took a few experimental images of this coin: (19 of 25)
Philippines: Tamarau 200 Piso (Tamaraw) A critically endangered species, Bubalus mindorensis (identified as Anoa mindorensis at the time of the coins production), lives in an extremely small habitat on the Island of Mindoro in the southeast Philippines. It is one of what was a largely spread group of dwarf cattle that lived on many islands around the Philippines in the Pleistocene Epoch. The Tamarau related to the Asiatic Water Buffalo, but it doesn't herd and it hates water. It grows to about 3 feet high, and live on young cane shoots, and grass. It lives in tropical highland forests. It grazes in thick brush, near open-canopied wooded areas. The creature is of national pride in the Philippines and has been on 1 peso circulating coins in the past The commemorative coin was also minted as a proof in Britain at 925 silver, but with a weight of only 25g and a diameter of 38mm. There were, like the others, 25,000 minted. 20 of 25 coins five left
Amanda I'm looking over the images that you have assembled so far, and I have to admit, that set is awesome and your pictures are even more awesome.
Thank you. I have a field trip I need to take for a couple of days so this will have to wait until the weekend.
Bahrain: Rhim Gazelle The Rhim Gazelle (Gazella leptoceros) is the only Gazelle that has evolved specifically for the dessert environs with specific adaptations to their hoofs which are enlarged for ease of travel on hot sand. The result is that they actually can't walk well on flats, and can not even out run a human being on normal terrain. They have a very pale coat with reflects sun light rather than absorb it like most gazelles. They do have very dark tails. They also have slender s curved horns and which lives in North Africa and Libya. However, the Bahrain coin, which is identified as the Rhim Gazelle coin, actually described the species Gazella Subgutturosa Marica, an entirely different species, Subgutturosa, and specifically the subspecies Marica which roams Saudi Arabia, southern Syria, southwestern Iraq, Oman, the offshore Persian Gulf Islands. This is a vulnerable species which has a large cartilaginous cylinder in the throat which in males increases in size during breeding season and produces a deep powerful vocalization for courtship. The migrate in heards and are swift runners. Once present all over the near east, they are likely the horned gazelle referred to in a number of places in the Hebrew Scripture know as a "Reim". This coin might be the best of the WWF series with an exquisitely carved reverse with the gazelles both bold and graceful. The obverse simple a graceful portrait of the Amir H.H. Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa uncomplicated of any background lettering or complicating design, leaving the obverse with an outstanding composition, especially with the proof. This is a 1986 5 dinars 0.925 Silver proof coin with a weight of a slender 19.44 grams and a diameter of 36.00 mm. It is minted in the British Royal mint with 25,00 coins minted.
Samoan Fantail So far, of all the coins, the Soamoan Fantail (Rhipidura Nebulosa) has been the hardest of the the animals for which I've written about from the 25th Anniversary World Wildlife Fund set. Over than the fact that it is not particularly venerable, and is one of many species of related and similar Rhipidura genus members, mostly spread through tropical islands in the pacific. http://twearth.com/species/samoan-fantail http://twearth.com/families/Fantails http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantail The interesting thing about the Samoan Fantail is that while it seems to behave much like a Mocking Bird, they love to run up to people and announce themselves as they are very tame and curious. That being said, I'm happy with my pictures of the coin and the new patterns I made for it! The coin is a proof minted in Singapore of a denomination of 10 Tala, and a hefty 31.47 grams and a 38.70mm diameter proof with a standard mintage of 25,000 (22 of 25)
That leaves three more exciting coins, that i intentionally left for the end The Monarch Butterfly, the Verreaux's Eagle and the African Elephant...
Aquila Verreauxii - Oman (a HUGE Eagle) Yes - this is one huge bird with a wingspan as large as 7 feet across and weighing in at about 1-13 pounds, these fearless birds have been reported to attack leopards, but usually feed on hyraxes. The often hunt in pairs using strategy, and to swoop in from behind cliffs in a surprise attack. Native to all over the East and Western African coastline, as well as the Western Arabian coasts as well, the country of Oman was quite proud of the discovery of this bird in 1977. They have a White 'V' on its back and white in the flight feathers. Another British minted coin, it is 2 1/2 Rials and weighs 28.28 grams with a diameter of 38.61mm. The mintage was a standard 25,000 proof coins. I found this the hardest coin to decipher. I couldn't figure out the orientation of the reverse bird, or the symbols of the obverse which to me looked like a weird space ship but might be crossed swords. Regardless, it is a beautiful coin
the reverse, the writing needs to be in the center so rotate it a little bit to the left. the obverse is upside down, rotate it 180 degrees, an easy way to identify the orintation of arabic coins is to look for number 9 it looks like the 9 used in English language. The obverse is an Omani dagger / Omani coat of arms, look it up in google.
WD40 - Thank You I'll try to rotate the Obverse rightside up. The other side, I originally tried it like you suggested but I didn't like the look of the Eagle. It looked like a Seagull like that