Australia: Fourth release in “Australia’s Most Dangerous” gold and silver one-ounce series features deadly box jellyfish

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The Royal Australian Mint has released the fourth coin design, which is part of the popular series entitled “Australia’s Most Dangerous.” The aptly named series focuses on some of the land down under’s most deadly wildlife, both on land and sea. Featured on the latest design is the Australian box jellyfish, which is the most dangerous marine creature that inhabits Australia’s northern coastal waters. The box jellyfish is both feared and respected, as they are known to be the most venomous animal in the world. One breed of box jellyfish, in particular, the Chironex fleckeri, is also known as the “sea wasp” and is Australia’s most dangerous jellyfish. With a body about the size of a basketball and 60 or more tentacles that are 6.5 feet or two meters in length, they have been known to grow up to 10 feet. The passive pale transparent blue colour of the box jellyfish can fool swimmers into thinking they are harmless creatures, but they are known to have caused deaths as fast as two to five minutes. It is the venom of the box jellyfish which causes excruciating pain for the victims of the sting, and unless treatment is administered immediately, the outcome is often death. Another deadly element of the box jellyfish is the fact they carry enough venom to kill sixty adult humans in their tentacles, designed to deliver paralysing stings and poison. The box jellyfish is also considered a very agile swimmer, and this is due in part to its 24 eyes, which gives them a wide range of vision. When not stinging the occasional human, they feed on small shrimps, fish and their larvae, rising and sinking between the bottom and the surface in search of food, and once the tentacles encounter their prey, that animal is stung and secured. Luckily for box jellyfish victims and in the open ocean, they only live for a period of about three months, but they can sometimes live for up to seven to eight months in a science lab tank. However, it is always wise to be aware of Box Jellyfish sightings when swimming in areas where they likely to set up home.

Designed by Royal Australian Mint artisan Aaron Baggio, the coins’ unique reverse design features a “smack” of jellyfish (the collective noun for a group of jellyfish). The main and largest jellyfish in the design has been separated from the rest of the group, providing a cleaner design. The long, thin tentacles of the smaller jellyfish wrap around the coin, framing the largest jellyfish in the centre. The text AUSTRALIAN BOX JELLYFISH is shown in both vertical and horizontal directions, and the specifications are placed on the upper-right edge.

*As the coins were produced before the death of Queen Elizabeth in September, they include the Commonwealth version of her effigy along with the denomination 100 DOLLARS (gold) or 1 DOLLAR (silver) shown below her likeness and the year 2023 as part of the legend.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Maximum Mintage
1 dollar	.999 Silver	31.1 g	40 mm	Brilliant Unc.	25,000
100 dollars	.9999 Gold	31.1 g	38.7 mm	Brilliant Unc.	250

Both gold and silver coins are individually encapsulated and shrink-wrapped when purchasing bundles of 10 pieces. For additional information, please click here for the silver coin or here for the gold coin.

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