Thailand 10-BAHT (Y497)

The reverse of this 2010 coin celebrates the 120th anniversary of the Ministry of Finance. At first glance, that looks like a Phoenix, which would be an odd thing to represent the Ministry of Finance since it routinely goes up in flames before being re-born.

I am reasonably sure it is actually a Fenghuang, which is sometimes referred to as a Chinese Phoenix or even simply Phoenix. While it resembles a Phoenix, it skips the death-by-flames and rebirth cycle, instead opting for immortality.

The Fenghuang has very positive connotations and is a symbol of high virtue. It symbolized the union of yin and yang, and in fact the Fenghuang -- who reigns over all birds -- is the unity of male (Feng) and female (Huang).