Blue Shark Tristan Da Cunha Nightingale Island 2011 10 Pence Legal Tender Copper-Nickel Commemorative Coin Uncirculated Comes In Sealed Plastic Bag From Mint

Description

This listing is for one uncirculated:

BLUE SHARK
Tristan Da Cunha Nightingale Island
2011 10 Pence Legal Tender Copper-Nickel Commemorative Coin Uncirculated 
Comes In Sealed Plastic Bag From Mint

Great addition for your world commemorative coin and/or shark collection!

This coin shows a Blue Shark, “Nightingale Island,” and “TEN PENCE” on the front.

Queen Elizabeth II, “Tristan da Cunha,” and “2011” are on the back.

Ten Pence legal tender coin from Tristan da Cunha.

This 21 mm diameter coin is a bit smaller than USA nickel (21.21 mm in diameter). 

Edge is smooth.

Named for their distinct blue color that fades to a crisp white underside, blue sharks have the requiem’s long, sleek body and an elongated conical snout.  They eat mostly squid and other invertebrates and small fish, but have been found with many other marine animal (and even sea birds) remains in their stomachs, proving to be opportunistic eaters.  Although blue sharks are not overly aggressive, these slow-movers are not shy and have been know to attack or pursue humans if there is food involved.  A female can have a litter of anywhere from 4 to over 100 pups at a time.

Unfortunately these incredible travelers are at great risk from modern fishing practices.  They are the most heavily fished shark in the world with many millions taken annually.  They are predominantly caught as bycatch as their meat is little valued.  However, their large scythe-shaped fins are highly prized in the fin trade and thus they are often taken for their fins—their carcasses discarded at sea.

While their IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) status is near threatened, a reduced catch rate of 60-80 percent has been reported in recent years and the available data is considered inadequate to accurately assess global population declines.

The waters of Tristan da Cunha may provide a refuge for these gentle giants.  Tristan da Cunha’s waters harbor more blue sharks than have seen in any of the other locations National Geographic has sampled all over the world, and what is most interesting is the composition of the blue shark population there.

National Geographic is seeing only large females and very small juveniles, suggesting that the waters of Tristan da Cunha might be a blue shark nursery ground with large females traveling there to give birth. The lack of intense fishing effort seen in other parts of the world provides a sanctuary for the pups to grow in peace before undertaking migrations of their own.

For these reasons, Tristan da Cunha decided to commemorate the blue shark on this coin.

Nightingale Island is an active volcanic island that is part of the Tristan da Cunha group.  Though it has no permanent inhabitants, Tristan da Cunha has issued a series of wildlife commemorative coins in honor of  the island. 

This listing is for one coin only – the blue shark coin.

Tristan da Cunha, colloquially Tristan, is both a remote group of volcanic islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group.  It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) from the nearest inhabited land, Saint Helena, and 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) from the nearest continental land, South Africa.  It is 3,360 kilometres (2,090 miles) from South America.  The territory consists of the main island, Tristan da Cunha, which has a north–south length of 11.27 kilometres (7.00 miles) and an area of 98 square kilometres (38 sq mile), and the smaller, uninhabited Nightingale Island and the wildlife reserves of Inaccessible and Gough islands.  As of January 2017, the main island has 262 permanent inhabitants.  Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is the only major settlement of Tristan da Cunha, and contains a small port, the Administrator’s residence, and the post office.  The other islands are uninhabited, except for the personnel of a weather station on Gough Island.

PHOTOS ENLARGED TO SHOW DETAILS.

  THERE MAY BE SOME DISCLORATION, TONING AND/OR SPOTTING.

COIN MAY HAVE SUPERFICIAL NICKS AND SCRATCHES.

COIN YOU RECEIVE MAY DIFFER FROM THAT SHOWN IN PHOTO BUT WILL BE IN SAME GENERAL CONDITION.  COLOR AND HUE OF COIN YOU RECEIVE MAY VARY FROM THAT SHOWN DUE TO COMPUTER AND PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUES AND DUE TO INDIVIDUAL COIN VARIABILITY.  COIN IS SILVERY IN COLOR SIMILAR TO THE WAY YOU SEE IT IN THE BAG. 

This coin is a great addition to your coin or animal collection and is a great way to start a coin collection for your child or grandchild!

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Please be sure to read this listing carefully, thoroughly and completely and to ask questions before buying so you are completely satisfied with your purchase.

This listing includes free shipping to USA by USPS First Class Mail with delivery confirmation.