Timor-Leste 1-CENTAVO (KM1)

Nautilus

When mollusks appear on coins, it is typically just the empty shell. Occasionally we get the entire animal, as shown on this first official coin from Timor-Leste.

There are six known species of nautilus, the most famous being the chambered nautilus. Use of nautilus shells goes way back in Timor-Leste, with archeological evidence for pigmented and worked shells dating back 42,000 years. [SOURCE]

The fact that the coin depicts a live animal suggests that they were (are?) an important food source.


Diameter
17 mm
Composition
Nickel-clad steel
Catalogue #
KM1
Obverse Legend
REPÚBLICA DEMOCRÁTICA DE TIMOR-LESTE
Reverse Legend
1 centavo

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