10 Vatu Parthenos Sylvia

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.