2018-03-30 Fri

The Austrian Mint released the 7th coin from its 12-coin Colorful Creatures Series, featuring a Parrot on 7th March. Each coin in the series would depict a different animal, coloured to photorealistic effect. These coins are produced with a Special Uncirculated finish. These are legal only in Austria but as collector coins only.

Over 50% of all parrot species face the threat of extinction because of the continuous destruction of their habitat. Parrots essentially live in the wild but are popularly tamed by humans and made to speak. They need a friendly atmosphere to thrive, be it humans or another parrot. If a parrot does not like its mate, they can never be forced to become pairs. Recently, some countries have introduced strict laws with respect to taming parrots. These beautiful birds are highly intelligent, can imitate words and can think associatively. That’s the reason why they are exported in large numbers. Experts say that if parrots speak for the entire day, they are actually feeling very lonely.

The reverse features all the animals which are a part of the Colourful Creatures series. Animals that fly are on the top, those which are found on land, are in the middle and those which swim, are seen at the bottom of the coin. A patch of wild grass, an African savannah tree, pine tree, crescent moon, flowers, stars, and bubbles are also included in the design. Animals like bat, owl, wolf, otter, crayfish, turtle, shark, tiger, parrot, kingfisher, frog and crocodile are depicted. A pointillistic effect is used to create these designs. Other inscriptions include REPUBLIK OSTERREICH and 3 EURO. A colourful parrot is featured on the reverse which illuminates in the dark. The mintage limit of this 16 grams Cupro-nickel coin is 50,000.

Image Courtesy: Austrian Mint