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2 Pa'anga - Taufa'ahau Tupou IV Humpback Whale
| Issuer | National Reserve Bank of Tonga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1980 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 2.70 mm |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) depicted breaching dynamically from stylized ocean waves rendered in the lower field, its long pectoral fins extended and head raised, conveying a sense of natural vigour. The naturalistic engraving captures the characteristic grooved throat and tubercles of the species. The circular legend 'SEA RESOURCE MANAGEMENT' arcs around the upper and lateral periphery, flanked by two raised dots at the lower sides. The denomination '2 PA'ANGA' is inscribed in the lower field beneath the wave motif. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Tonga's 1980 wildlife series emerged from a broader Pacific conservation push that coincided with the International Whaling Commission's increasingly fractious debates over commercial whaling quotas. Humpback populations in the South Pacific had been devastated by Soviet and Japanese pelagic fleets operating through the 1960s, and island nations with no whaling industry to protect were among the loudest voices for protection. Tonga was one of them.
KM#63 was struck in relatively modest quantities and saw genuine circulation, which makes problem-free examples harder to locate than the mintage figures alone would suggest.