100 Dram The Wide-Eared Hedgehog

Armenia's wildlife coinage series drew on the country's endemic and regionally threatened fauna, and the long-eared hedgehog — Hemiechinus auritus — was a deliberate inclusion given its protected status under Armenian law. The 2006 issue was part of a broader push by the Central Bank to produce collectible silver pieces aimed squarely at the thematic coin market, a revenue strategy common among smaller post-Soviet states with limited hard currency reserves.

Mintage figures for this type were kept low, and most examples went directly into collector hands rather than circulation.