Coin designs showing tiny distant birds in the sky

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Isle of Man, 10 pence, 1996.

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Isle of Man, 2 pence, 2004.

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Isle of Man, 10 pence, 2004.

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Isle of Man, 50 pence, 2004.

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Isle of Man, 2 pounds, 2004.

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Finland, 5 markkaa, 1992.

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Gibraltar, 2 pence, 1988.

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Belize, 250 dollars, 1989.

500th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of the New World.



Belize, $1, 1990. Columbus's fleet.

This was a standard circulation coin.

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French Pacific Territories, 10 francs, 2021.

White terns in the sky.

[chrisild]

This tiny distant bird in the sky (on the Annette coin) was issued about three months ago.

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Tanzania, 50 shilingi, 1996.

A tiny bird - admittedly not in the sky - on the back of the mother rhinoceros.

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Cape Verde, 20 escudos, 1994.

A brown booby bird (Sula leucogaster) in the sky.

And a black-backed gull (Larus marinus) in the foreground.

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China: the two version of the junk dollar.

China issued a so called 'junk dollar' in 1932, featuring a junk.

This type proved to be unpopular, however.

The design looked like it gave support to the Japanese.

It was quickly replaced by a design without birds or a rising sun.

The new design was issued from 1933 to 1949.

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The thread shows that with few exceptions, the distant birds occur on water scenes. I would argue that this is the key to understanding them as a design device. Even if there is a boat or ship in the foreground, water is flat, leaving an empty sky. A few birdies can fill up those empty spaces that many sailors so appreciate and many land lubbers just don't understand.

Peter

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Fiji, 50 cents: 2006, 2009 and 2012.