10 Euro Maltese Bee

Malta has issued a series of nature-themed collector coins in recent years, and this piece belongs to that ongoing program focused on endemic and ecologically significant species of the Maltese islands. The Maltese honey bee, considered a distinct subspecies — Apis mellifera ruttneri — was formally described by Friedrich Ruttner in 1988 and has been subject to serious conservation concern due to hybridization pressure from imported commercial bee stocks.

The ruthenium plating over .999 silver with selective gold-finish treatment is a relatively recent technique in European collector coinage, used to create tonal contrast without the cost of bimetallic construction.