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20 Cents - Elizabeth II Microraptor Gui
| Issuer | Central Bank of Samoa |
|---|---|
| Year | 2022 |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Central raised circular panel depicting the right-facing effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, after the portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley, whose initials IRB appear below the truncation. The Samoan coat of arms is featured below the portrait, with the denomination '20 Cents' inscribed beneath. The legend 'ELIZABETH II' arcs to the left and 'SAMOA' to the right of the central medallion. Surrounding the central panel, the broad copper field of the egg-shaped flan is decorated in high relief with silhouettes of numerous dinosaur species in dynamic poses, with one Microraptor Gui figure at the upper portion of the field rendered in partial gilt, contrasting with the rose-copper finish of the remaining figures. |
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| Reverse script | Latin, Chinese |
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| Additional information |
Microraptor gui, named in 2003 from specimens recovered in Liaoning Province, China, was the subject of a landmark study demonstrating that it likely used its four wings for gliding rather than powered flight — a finding that meaningfully complicated established models of avian evolution. The Liaoning fossils come from the Yixian Formation, dated to roughly 120–130 million years ago, and the preservation quality there is exceptional enough to have confirmed melanosomes suggesting iridescent plumage.
Samoa has no paleontological connection to this animal whatsoever. The coin exists because the numismatic collectibles market sustains a category of topical issues — prehistoric fauna, space, wildlife — where the issuing authority is essentially incidental to the subject matter.