2019-03-07 Thu

Pobjoy Mint released the second coin in their Flamingo Series for the British Virgin Islands. The reverse side of this coin features two adult James’s Flamingos, out of which, one is looking for food in the waters. The coin is struck on a special metal developed by Pobjoy Mint called Virenium®. The metal is light gold in colour while the two flamingos are shown in full colour with light pink plumage and yellow bills.

The obverse side depicts an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, exclusively designed by Pobjoy Mint. The 8.00 grams coin has a diameter of 28.40 millimetres and a mintage limit of 3,500 pieces. A collector’s album with all coins from the series is also available for sale which contains information about all the six types of flamingos which will be featured in this 6-coin set.

James’s Flamingo is named after a British naturalist called Harry Berkeley who studied the bird. It was believed that the species was extinct until a new population was discovered in 1956. Unlike other species of the bird, James’s Flamingo has a very long neck and very light pink plumage. It has bright crimson carmine stripes on its back, while its bill is bright yellow with a black tip.

Flamingos are generally found in the tropical regions and are known for their long legs and necks. They are pink in colour because of the beta-carotene content that they intake through crustaceans and plankton. Flamingos can turn white if they don’t get access to their natural food choices. Their flock can contain hundreds of birds and they perform mating displays in tandem like a synchronized flamingo flamenco. Six species of flamingos are known and each one would be featured on coins from this series.

Image Courtesy: Pobjoy Mint

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