Catalog
10 Vatu Parthenos Sylvia
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of Vanuatu |
|---|---|
| Year | 2006 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A full-colour polychrome depiction of the Clipper butterfly (Parthenos sylvia) dominates the field, rendered with striking naturalistic detail in shades of teal, green, black, and white, with wings fully spread in dorsal view. The species name "Parthenos Sylvia" arcs along the upper legend within a beaded border, with a small copyright mark in the upper field below the legend. The denomination "10 VATU" is inscribed in raised letters along the lower field. |
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| Additional information |
The Parthenos sylvia — the Chalkhill Blue butterfly — has no particular connection to Vanuatu, and that is precisely the point. By the mid-2000s, the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu had become a reliable issuer of collectible coins bearing subjects entirely unrelated to the archipelago: wildlife, minerals, historical figures from other continents. These pieces were produced for the numismatic and souvenir market, never intended to circulate on Espiritu Santo or Efaté.
Silver-plated copper-nickel at 31.1g is the format of a coin priced for casual collectors — enough heft to feel substantial, none of the cost of solid silver.