I lived in Miami, Florida for a bit back in the nineties. I had a friend who loved fishing and diving just as I do and we used to make a lot of trips to the Bahamas for just that reason. The fishing is phenomenal as well as the diving. You can see so many different sea creatures and beautiful reefs all around the islands. If you get a chance it's worth the trip!
While I was there I always tried to pick up a coin or two for my collection and found this coin in a shop. It has a great design with a marlin and flamingo on the front and a beautifully designed conch shell on the back. Take a look:
About the coin:
Country: Commonwealth of the Bahamas
Denomination: One Dollar
Mint : The Franklin Mint, Pennsylvania, US
Year: 1978
Mintage: 6,931
Composition: 80% silver/ 20% copper
Diameter: 34.54 mm
Weight: 18.14 grams
Thickness: 2.44 mm
Edge: Reeded
Obverse: The Bahamas national arms with lettering: COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS FORWARD UPWARD, ONWARD TOGETHER
1978
Reverse: Queen conch shell and a small fish and lettering: One Dollar
I've always liked this coin, it's beautifully detailed which one would expect out of the Franklin Mint. They produced some really stunning coins back in the seventies and eighties. It's one of several I have from the Franklin Mint that was minted for the Bahamas, and I haven't run into any others in coin shops here in the US over the years. So they aren't all that common and definitely great coins to collect or for stacking!
Now for some cool queen conch pictures!
sunrisebeachclub.com
A decorative shell
thoughtco.com
One on a reef turned over so you can see the conch
communityconch.org
On the sea floor
Most of us have seen conch shells at some point as they are used for decorations and even musical instruments. Conch are sea snails that are commonly eaten as seafood throughout the Caribbean. The species found in the Americas and Caribbean is the queen conch. They are a common part of ceviche or soups depending on the country you happen to be in. In the Bahamas they are served in soups, salads or fritters, and are very tasty!
Something that I didn't know is that queen conch is that they can produce pearls. They are fairly rare with the most common color being pink but can be white, brown, or orange. They have been highly sought since Victorian times and can be slightly iridescent due to small crystalline fibers near the surface of the pearl. Out of curiosity I started to check prices out and was shocked to find that most start at about $1,000 US and some selling at much, much higher prices. Below is the picture they have in Wikipedia, it was one of the nicer ones I could find.
Wikipedia
I guess I should have done some conch fishing too, maybe I would have found a pearl!
Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. I appreciate all of your support! If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments please feel free to leave them below. Thanks again!
References
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces21127.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conch
Re-blog lottery
Now for the winner of the re-blog lottery! Today we had 23 people re-blog my post, thank you so much! You guy are the best! The people who re-blogged were:
@abbak7
@bitandi
@bitphoto
@blitzzzz
@caleb-marvel
@edeyglezsosa
@flaxz.alive
@florakese
@ganjafarmer
@henruc
@hooiyewlim
@kungfukid
@kunschj
@ladymisa
@maurojd
@monsterbuster
@olaf.gui
@pepetoken
@stekene
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@trumpman
@vrezion
@vrezyy
Voluntary daily reminder list for those who request to be on it: @ganjafarmer
If you want to be added to the list as well just feel free to ask!
Thank you everyone! I have been working to improve my engagement and all of you have really helped out! If you have any recommendations or suggestions please feel free to let me know. I'm always looking to improve my posts.
Good luck to everyone!
And the Wheel of Names results:
Congratulations @florakese !
You will receive 3 HSBI!
Now for today's re-blog lottery! You just need to re-blog my post you will be placed on the Wheel of Names for a spin to possibly win 3 HSBI units! Just one prize for the lucky winner. An upvote is not required but is always greatly appreciated. Bots aren't allowed to win the prize. Contest ends at 14:00 (2 PM) California Pacific time tomorrow. If I somehow missed your re-blog please let me know and I'll add you to the next draw.
What are HSBI units? They are units that you can purchase to sponsor someone and you in turn receive a unit as well. This way we both benefit! They give you occasional upvotes on your posts for a lifetime, and the more you accumulate the more often you receive upvotes and the bigger they can be. You can read some more here:
If you have more questions feel free to ask.
