Another return to the Pacific today as the coin behind door 21 is a 2 vatu coin from Vanuatu. A small island archipelago southeast of the Solomon Islands which I got back on the 8th.
On the obverse side of the coin we have an image of the coat of arms of Vanuatu. It is a depiction of a Melanesian warrior standing on a mountain superimposed on a boar tusk and two crossed namele fern fronds.
The warrior is a depiction of Walter Lini the first prime minister of an independent Vanuatu (Vanuatu gained it’s independence from France and Britain in 1980). The boar tusk and namele leaves represent prosperity and peace respectively and are actually part of the national flag of Vanuatu.
On the reverse side of the coin, along with the value, there is a design showing charonia tritonis (also known as a triton) shell. The triton is a large sea snail found throughout the Indo-pacific oceans. The shell of the triton is well known and often seen as traditional decorative object evocative of the ocean. The shell is also sometimes used as a trumpet, as shown by the shell on the coin due to the presence of a hole carved near to the tapered end of the shell.
Numismatic Exploits 