2023 - Niue 1 NZD Silver Coin Prehistoric World - Pteranodon - Proof

Prehistoric world

The seventh Mesozoic lizard appearing on the Czech Mint's silver coin from the Prehistoric World series is the pteranodon.

The Pteranodon was a flying reptile with a wingspan of up to 7 metres, making it one of the largest known pterosaurs. It could take to the air thanks to its hollow bones, which greatly reduced its weight. It weighed no more than a six-year-old child. Unlike its older relatives, it was completely toothless. Its beak was more than a metre long and was used for fishing. It foraged at sea level near the coast, sometimes falling prey to giant animals lurking underwater. The counterweight to the beak was a growth on the back of the pteranodon's head, which was much larger in males and may have helped with steering in flight.

The reverse side of the coin was dedicated by the medal maker Petr Patka, DiS., to the depiction of a seated pteranodon in vivid colours, which were achieved using colouring technology. No photographs or computer graphics were used as a template - the author of the coin created an original painting. The embossed relief presents other pterosaurs fishing off the coast. The composition of the reverse is concluded by the inscription PTERANODON. The obverse side of the coin, which is common to the entire cycle, bears a fossilised skeleton of a tyrannosaur and the English inscription PREHISTORIC WORLD. As the licence to issue the commemorative coins of the Czech Mint is granted by the Pacific island of Niue, the obverse side bears its necessary elements - the national emblem, the nominal value of 1 DOLLAR (NZD) and the year of issue 2023.

The coin dedicated to the pterosaur can be saved in a collector's album that is full of interesting facts about the life of giant lizards.