Niue 2011 $1 Tasmanian Tiger Lenticular Gold Plated Prooflike

Celebrating one of the true icons of Australia's natural and cultural history with the latest in 21st century minting techniques, this stunning tribute to the Tasmanian Tiger is most notable for its sensational Lenticular Moving Image. The reverse design features the very last of the species to die in captivity and has been created with the last known film footage of a live Tasmanian Tiger! An animal like no other, the thylacine resembled a large short-haired dog with a head like a wolf, a backward facing pouch like a wombat, a stiff tail similar to that of a kangaroo, and a striped body that gave it the name 'Tasmanian Tiger'.

The impact of human activity significantly contributed to the disappearance of the Tasmanian Tiger population, with disease, hunting and incursion into its natural habitat all having an effect. Considered a major threat to livestock, the last Tasmanian Tiger in the wild was shot by a farmer in 1933. It was in the same year that the last known surviving Tasmanian Tiger was captured and transported to Hobart Zoo and named 'Benjamin'. The Tasmanian Tiger was notorious for its inability to survive long in captivity, and Benjamin died after only three years at the Zoo, passing away on the 7th of September 1936. The ideal subject for the application of Lenticular minting technology, this spectacular 40mm gold-plated legal tender coin captures perfectly the great beauty and fierce appearance of this intriguing, distinctive Australian marsupial. Enshrining a crucial artefact of Australia's natural history within genuine legal tender, the vivid Moving Image design was created using footage of Benjamin taken by noted naturalist David Fleay at the Hobart Zoo in 1933. Given the employment of Fleay's historic film, you could hardly imagine a more authentic, more eye-catching commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the death of the last known Tasmanian Tiger.

A fantastic opportunity for our clients to enjoy this compelling combination of Australian history and stateof- the-art minting, the 2011 $1 Tasmanian Tiger Goldplated Prooflike coin represents outstanding value-formoney at the Official Issue Price!

• A stunning Lenticular legal tender tribute to the iconic Tasmanian Tiger
• Features Moving Image design - created using original footage of the last Tassie Tiger!
• Measuring 40mm in diameter, each Prooflike copper coin is finished in 24-carat gold!
• Set in an informative, attractive full-colour pack
• Very affordable at Official Issue Price!