I have a young friend, age 13, that is crazy about collecting turtles. So when I hear constantly about turtles, pretty soon I end up watching for turtles too. So, in honor of her passion, I am featuring 4 different turtle coins that I have painted.  The coins come from interesting places from around the world!
The first coin on the left is a 1992 50 Tene coin from the Cook Islands.  The Cook Islands issues a lot of very interesting coins, I suspect in the hope that collectors will buy them and help their economy.  In my case, their plan is working!  The country is located about 2,000 miles north east of New Zealand.  It consists of 15 islands with only a population of about 17,000 people, and depends on New Zealand for money and military defense.

The coin at the top right is a 1984 50 Pence coin from Saint Helena & Ascension. They only made this coin one year, and it featured a Sea Turtle.  If Staint Helena sounds familar at all, it might be because this is the island that Napoleon was exiled to.  Also exiled here was several Zula chiefs, and an ex-sultan of Zanzibar.  The island is only 47 square miles is located about 1,150 miles from the west coast of Africa. Obviously it is out in the middle of nowhere, and a good place to exile people.

 The coin  at the bottom left is from Papua New Guinea.  It is a 1975 5 Toea coin and features a Plateless Turtle.  This coin is small, about the size of an American nickel.  Papua New Guinea is populated by about 7,000 Tribes, and has over 700 mutually exclusive languages... communicating has to be a problem there!  It is near the equator and north of Austraila.

The last coin at the bottom right features a Green Turtle and is a 10 Cent coin from the Cayman Islands.  This one, as you might guess, was an 8th grade graduation gift for my young friend who collects turtles.  I think the interesting design and small size of the coin made it a perfect pendant for her.   As you would imagine, I enjoyed painting these coins and turning them into jewelry that can be 'enjoyed.  I also loved researching each coin's story so I could share it with you.