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500 Tenge Caspian Seal
| Issuer | National Bank of Kazakhstan |
|---|---|
| Year | 2013 |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Reverse description | The oval reverse presents a finely detailed, high-relief proof depiction of an adult Caspian seal (Phoca caspica) resting on an ice floe, its head raised alertly and facing the viewer. A pup is visible beside it in the lower right of the composition. In the background, a golden-colored sun — rendered with selective gold gilding — rises above a distant rocky shoreline with layered ice formations, evoking the seal's natural Caspian habitat. The Latin binomial legend 'PHOCA CASPICA' and its Kazakh equivalent 'КАСПИЙ ИТБАЛЫҒЫ' arc along the upper periphery of the field, separated by a central dot. The date '2013' is inscribed in the lower exergue. |
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| Mint | Kazakhstan Mint (KMC), Ust-Kamenogorsk |
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| Additional information |
Issued as part of Kazakhstan's ongoing "Red Book" wildlife conservation series, this coin was released when the Caspian seal population had declined by roughly 90% from its early 20th-century estimates — a collapse driven by commercial hunting, habitat disruption from oil extraction, and recurrent distemper outbreaks. The National Bank has used the series explicitly as a vehicle for domestic conservation awareness, timed alongside government environmental reporting cycles.
The .925 silver strikes from the Kazakhstani program were produced at the Kazakhstan Mint in Ust-Kamenogorsk, which only reached full precious-metal striking capacity in the early 2000s.