A 1967 coin from Canada featuring a Howling Wolf This coin from Canada has a lot of history. It was part of a national design contest to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Canada in 1967. The fifty cent coin for that year featured the winning design of a howling wolf. 1967 was also the last year that the fifty cent coin was made of silver, changing the next year to coins made of nickel. A little information about wolves in Canada:
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Since I am a hopeless animal lover, it doesn't surprise anyone that I have fostered bottle-fed baby kittens for almost 10 years. In case you missed it, I would like to share my slideshow of many of the foster kittens I have been a mom to. They have come to me from my local Humane Society as young as 1 day old, and they grow up to 8 weeks old with me when they are old enough to be adopted . It is the best volunteer job ever, and it is wonderful to see them grow up healthy and ready to go to their own families. Hope this brings you a smile and a little happiness for the Holidays. Hugs, Ann New in my online shop - King Penguin from Falkland Islands I painted just one of these coins a few years back, and have been purchasing a few bare coins here and there to offer them again. It has taken a while, but I have accumulated 3 of them to paint and just listed them in my online shop. Before I started painting coins, I collected them for over 15 years, and belonged to our local coin club. In fact, when I figured out how to paint them, most of my coin collection became the coins I painted. For me, the best part of collecting coins was the the fun of purchasing them. Searching for something I didn't already own, and finding a reasonable price. So obviously now I search for coins to paint, and I continue to really enjoy the "hunt." This coin features a King Penguin, a large "flightless bird" that that scientists still don't know why they lost their ability to fly. They are the 2nd largest penguin with an adult height of about 36 inches, and have a life span of 26 years in the wild. They live in several antarctic areas, including the Falkland Islands where this coin is from. Fun fact: King Penguins walk slowly and do not hop. My Favorite category is "Cats" I am drawn to Cat designs when I paint coins. Of course I love all the animals and nature themes, but I have fostered bottle-fed baby kittens for almost a decade. I guess that makes me a little obsessed! This 2015 coin is part of a Fauna series of coins from Turkey. Each year they come out with 2 new coin designs, each one featuring a different animal. The love of cats in Turkey dates back to the people who settled the city of Istanbul, the Ottomans. The mighty Ottomans worshipped cats based on their cleanliness and their ability to hunt. As a result of their long history with cats, felines have become an essential part of Turkish culture and the city of Istanbul. Another interesting feature is that the coin is "bi-metal" with the center made of brass WITH a goldtone color, while the outside ring is a silver color. The color change isn't too evident on the painted side of the coin, but the other side it is very obvious and attractive. At the current time, this coin is the most popular that I paint. That can always change, but this coin deserves the attention! The coin features a loggerhead turtle which is highly migratory. They return annually to their place of birth on the Colombian beaches for nesting and laying their eggs. Unfortunately, these turtles are also critically endangered. This coin is both a beautiful design and is intended to help with awareness of the issues. It is interesting that the wavy lines which represent the ocean waves on the coin, are there as a security device to prevent counterfeiting. There is also very small text between the waves saying "aqua" which means "water.." On the other side of the coin, you will find very small text that says "cuidar el agua" which translates to "take care of the water." Pretty cool design and nice environmental message for all of us. A beautiful coin from Belarus I started the journey into coin jewelry by first discovering the fun of collecting coins from around the world. Often I would find something special, it was a fun treasure hunt. This coin from Belarus celebrates a tradition of Europe, Candlemas. Some celebrate with a festival of lights (candles) It is celebrated on February 2nd, at the darkest time of winter. For others it is either a Christian or Jewish tradition. Regardless, this coin is a beautiful design and rather rare. Belarus only issued 3,000 of these coins in total, and I have made 3 of them into coin Jewelry. 7 Interesting Facts about the Hawksbill Sea Turtle:
I always say there is a story to go with every coin. This one I love. When I worked at my local Humane Society, I went to a conference for Animal Shelters. One of the speakers indicated that if we could teach every cat to reach out and touch people, they would all get adopted. Problem solved! It turns out that many people melt when a cat reaches out to them, and adopt the cat that "chose them." When I share the story, I often got confirmation from people that this had happened to them too. The pose on this coin always makes me remember all this and brings a smile to my day. If you aren't aware, Stroma is a small unoccupied island off the northern coast of Scotland. No humans have lived there for over 50 years. I have read that this series of cat coins are actually "fantasy" coins sold to help raise money for the feral cat population that still lives there. 7 Fun Facts About Humpback Whales
This is such a fun design for a coin, and I am so glad I was able to find some of these to paint! Tuvalu isn't exactly a big source of coins, with less than 12,000 total population and out somewhere in the South Pacific between Hawaii and Australia. Just for the fun of it, here are 10 facts per the Smithsonian:
I love this coin from Cyprus, such a beautiful design and such a delight for me to paint it. Please watch the video and enjoy!
You can find it to purchase in my Etsy Shop: Click Here For close to a decade, I have been fostering underage kittens for my local Humane Society. They can be as young as a day or two old, and then I foster them until they are old enough to be adopted at about 8 weeks old.
This is a slide show of many of my fosters, and I hope you enjoy seeing all these cuties! -Ann |
AnimalCoin BlogI love sharing the interesting stories behind these coins. It is one way to explore the world, and learning more about animals and nature important to each country. Archives
June 2023
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