Sunday, September 16, 2012

Commemorative coins of Turkey : 03


I reported previously about Turkish commemorative coins depicting endangered animal.
Today's post is about 2 new coins (dated 2011 - issued 2012).

The first coin bares the image of a bear.
The 'Boz Ayı' is better known as the Brown bear (Grizzly Bear) or Ursus Arctos.
Altough the coins are about endangered or (nearly) extinct animals, the Brown bear is quite common.
He can be found from teh northwestern part of Canada, over Alaska, to the north part of Russia and Finland. But also in the Balcan area, and parts of Turkey.


1 Lira coin 2011 - issued 2012 - brown bear

Face Value: 1 Türkish Lira
Metal: CuprıNickel
Diameter: 26,15 mm
Weight: 8,3 gr
Bimetallic with plain edge
Max. Issue: 11.000 in Turkey, 4.000 to export
Design: Nalan Yerlibucak
Released : 02.01.2012


For the second coin, I have a little question:
Does the name "Aslan" rings a bell?
For those who haven't seen 'Narnia' (Narnia, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe), "Aslan" is the son of the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea, and comes from the land or world – its exact nature is unknown – known as Aslan's Country.
Aslan is also a (Turkish) name (derived from Arsaelan, and means 'lion').

You will have discovered now that the second coin in this 2011 set (date on the coin) is about the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) aka Persian -, Indian - or Eurasian Lion. (Other types of Asiatic Lions are the Arabian Lions and the Bengali Lions).
The "asya aslanı" once lived from the Mediterranean to the northeastern parts of the Indian subcontinent. Now it's a highly endangered animal, with about 500 species left in India.

1 Lira coin 2011 - issued 2012 - asiatic lion

Face Value: 1 Türkish Lira
Metal: CuprıNickel
Diameter: 26,15 mm
Weight: 8,3 gr
Bimetallic with plain edge
Max. Issue: 11.000 in Turkey, 4.000 to export
Design: Nalan Yerlibucak
Released : 02.01.2012

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