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5 Kina - Elizabeth II Queen Alexandra Butterfly
| Issuer | Bank of Papua New Guinea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1992 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A finely detailed naturalistic depiction of the Queen Alexandra's birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera alexandrae), the world's largest butterfly, is portrayed with wings fully spread and occupying the majority of the field. The intricate venation of all four wings is rendered in high relief against a mirror-polished background, highlighting the species' distinctive wing patterning. The denomination 'K5' is inscribed in bold serif lettering at the lower center of the field. The design is enclosed within a beaded border running along the inner rim. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Papua New Guinea's wildlife coinage program of the late 1980s and early 1990s was driven partly by the country's exceptional biodiversity and partly by the international collector market for exotic fauna issues — the Bank of Papua New Guinea leaned hard into both. The Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, native to the Oro Province, holds the distinction of being the largest butterfly in the world by wingspan and has been CITES Appendix I-listed since 1975, making its trade and export illegal. That legal status gave the coin an ironic commercial edge: the butterfly was untouchable in nature, but infinitely reproducible in silver.