MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

South Georgia issues Macaroni Penguin gold coins

The four-pound Gold coin has been released on behalf of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands with an incredibly small issue limit

After the recent release of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Penguin Series, The Pobjoy Mint is announcing a limited-edition Proof Fine 1/25oz Gold coin featuring the macaroni penguin to complement this immensely popular series.

The four-pound Gold coin has been released on behalf of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands with an incredibly small issue limit. Named after an unusual Macaroni hairstyle of the 18th Century, macaroni penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus) have orange tufty plumes for eyebrows. These orange feathers make this penguin stand out from the rest as they are often striking against the penguins’ environment.

There is an estimated population of 12 million breeding pairs but only a proportion of these live in the Antarctic region. The species is very colonial and form large colonies of hundreds of thousands of birds.

They are among the more vocal of the Penguins, especially when establishing their territories. They can travel 400km just to find a hunting site and are known to spend six months at sea whilst foraging for food. They have been recorded diving as deep as 100 meters just to hunt their food.

The design on the coin itself features a single adult macaroni penguin. The obverse of the coin features an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II produced exclusively by Pobjoy Mint. The coin is presented in a beautiful red box with a numbered certificate to make this small issue even more unique. Coin Specifications, Diameter, 13.92 mm; weight, 1,24 grams; issue limit, 199