Catalog
10 Vatu Attacus Atlas
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of Vanuatu |
|---|---|
| Year | 2006 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 31.1 g |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A full-colour polychrome depiction of the Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) displayed with wings spread, rendered in vivid shades of red and orange with distinctive translucent blue-grey fenestrate patches on both the fore- and hindwings, and characteristic hooked forewing tips resembling serpent heads. A small mintmaster's mark appears in the upper field above the moth. The Latin species name "Attacus Atlas" is inscribed in an arc at the top of the field, and the denomination "10 VATU" appears in the lower field, all within a beaded border. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Atlas moth series was part of a broader wave of Pacific island wildlife coinage that accelerated in the early 2000s, when small sovereign nations — Vanuatu among them — increasingly licensed their minting rights to European producers targeting the collector market. These issues were never intended for circulation. The Reserve Bank of Vanuatu authorized them primarily as a revenue instrument, with the coins bearing face values that bear no relationship to their actual cost of production or retail price.
Silver-plated copper-nickel rather than solid silver — worth noting for collectors who may encounter these grouped with genuine bullion issues at shows.