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3500 Dobras Wildlife Protection
| Issuer | Banco Central de São Tomé e Príncipe |
|---|---|
| Year | 1990 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#46 |
| Obverse description | The national coat of arms of São Tomé and Príncipe is prominently displayed at the center of the obverse, featuring a shield flanked by two African grey parrots with outstretched wings perched on branches, with a detailed heraldic design on the shield. The circular legend 'REPÚBLICA DEMOCRÁTICA DE S. TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE' arcs around the upper periphery in raised Latin lettering. The date '1990' appears in the lower field beneath the coat of arms. The coin exhibits a highly polished proof finish with a deeply mirrored field contrasting against the finely detailed frosted relief of the central device. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A large sea turtle (tartaruga do mar) is depicted in finely detailed high relief, shown in a three-quarter view swimming amid an underwater scene of corals and sea grasses that fill the field. Two smaller sea turtles and a fish appear in the upper left portion of the field, adding depth to the marine composition. The legend 'TARTARUGA DO MAR - S. TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE' arcs around the upper periphery, while the denomination '3500 DOBRAS' is inscribed along the lower periphery, both flanked by raised bullet points. The overall design is rendered in proof quality with frosted devices set against a mirror-polished field, emphasizing the naturalistic detail of the wildlife subject. |
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| Additional information |
São Tomé e Príncipe issued this piece as part of a wave of large-format silver wildlife coins that flooded the collector market in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when small nations with thin mint infrastructure routinely contracted foreign minting houses — likely Valcambi or a comparable Swiss or German facility — to produce high-value numismatic issues with no genuine domestic circulation intent. The 3500 Dobras denomination was essentially fictional in purchasing-power terms for the local economy at the time.
The islands' genuine conservation record is notable — the endemic fauna of the Gulf of Guinea had attracted international attention by this period — but the coin's origins are commercial rather than policy-driven.