After receiving mail from a little Italian company, I present you with another curious piece of silver. It washed ashore from the distant island nation of Palau. The 2019 silver sand dollar.
Sand dollar
So before diving into this coin, what's a sand dollar anyway? They're an animal closely related to sea urchins and starfish. If you've ever visited a beach, you most certainly came across one. Their remains wash ashore on tropical beaches all around the globe.
But why is it called sand dollar? Some people say because it resembles early spanish coins. Others think that they are coins lost by mermaids.
I like the latter part, because if it's true, a certain mermaid we all know in the ssg-community lost this one.
The Republic of Palau indeed came up with an original idea because this beautiful silver coin comes in a treasure chest! Even though it's a cheap chest which you would find at a dollar store, it's undoubtedly a cool packaging. The inside holds a certificate of authenticity and a soft foam mould for the coin. And of course the coin itself.
The obverse doesn't resemble a coin at all. It's a very intricate design of pores and ridges in a floral pattern. There are even holes in the coin. On top of that the whole front is dome shaped. This complex design mimiks a real sand dollar perfectly.
Only after turning the coin around you notice that you are holding an actual coin in your hands. It features the original coat of arms of Palau. It shows a traditional Palauan canoe at the top with a merman and mermaid underneath. The phrase "RAINBOWS END" refers to Palau being a paradise.
At the bottom, the denomination is written both in a curvy script and numeral form. It's 1 US dollar. No, that's not a typo, the Republic of Palau uses the US dollar as currency. And they even printed the mintage onto the reverse. It's 2019, the same as the year it was released.
Conclusion
Although it's a high premium coin, and just 1 ounce of silver, it's a fascinating design and well worth the money. The use of smart minting technology creates an exciting design and lends itself perfectly for this coin. I'm curious which designs Palau will mint with this in the future. Maybe other sea creatures?
I found this coin by accident and think the design is pretty interesting. What do you think about this sand dollar?
