1 Rouble African death's head hawkmoth

Transnistria — the narrow strip of territory between Moldova and Ukraine that declared independence in 1990 but remains unrecognized by any UN member state — issues collector coins largely as a revenue mechanism, since the series carries no obligation of international acceptance. The African death's head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos) coin belongs to a broader wildlife series that has attracted genuine collector interest precisely because the issuing authority's ambiguous status keeps the pieces outside mainstream cataloguing channels.

KM#297 is nickel plated steel rather than a precious metal — an unusual choice for a wildlife commemorative, and one that limits its secondary market ceiling considerably.