Wild Turkeys on Coins

WillieBoyd2

Wild Turkeys on Coins?

Has anyone ever seen a legitimate coin depicting a Wild Turkey?

Daltonista

Not sure if this qualifies, but try Andorra 5 Centims, 2002.

WillieBoyd2

Here's the closest thing to a coin that I found with a Wild Turkey:



Token - New Orleans Mardi Gras Wild Turkey 1978 (38mm)
FISH and GAME of NORTH AMERICA / WILD TURKEY / 1978
JEFFERSON CITY BUZZARDS / MARDI GRAS / SINCE 1890 / N.O.L.A.

Sapyx

The wild turkey is native only to Canada, the USA and Mexico; if none of these countries have ever featured the creature on their coinage (and as far as I know, they haven't), no other country would. Krause's description of the bird on the Andorra 5 centims as a "male turkey" is wrong, and based on a superficial resemblance; the Catalan name on the coin is "Gall Fer" which, when plugged into Google Translate, turns out to be the capercaillie or wood grouse, an unrelated species of bird native to Europe.

The Australian scrub turkey is, despite it's name, also an unrelated species. This animal hasn't appeared on Australian coinage, either.

sinin1

How about a Turkey counterstamp from Turkey TX?

WillieBoyd2

Finally, a Bird whose Time has Come:

lordmarcovan

Isn't the wild turkey a quintessentially American bird? Didn't I read somewhere that Benjamin Franklin proposed it as our national bird?

It is certainly a more original choice than the bald eagle. Not the most intimidating as a symbol, though.

I've seen both in the wild, here where I live. Wild turkeys down at the end of my road. Bald eagles on top of the high utility poles near the marsh.

(PS- Ben Franklin might have had an influence, even if his bird wasn't chosen. The scrawny, underfed eagles on our earliest US silver and gold coins certainly looked a little more "turkeyish". The coins they're on certainly do not command scrawny or underfed pricetags nowadays, though!)

ajaan

First time I've seen a turkey on a coin. I've seen many coins that were turkeys.

coinsarefun

Lord M........you nailed it

WillieBoyd2

I got my wish, a wild turkey on an official circulating United States coin:


United States Kisatchie National Forest America the Beautiful quarter (25 cents) 2015

Andres

Congrats Willie , pour yourself a glass of Wild Turkey

WillieBoyd2

The American wild turkey also lives in Mexico; Cortez's men encountered them.

WillieBoyd2

Another wild turkey on a coin:

The small country of Andorra issued this coin in 2002:

Andorra brass 5 cèntims 2002 Gall Fer or Capercaillie

The Krause 2002 Standard Catalog of World Coins (29th Edition) had this description of the coin:

Andorra brass 5 cèntims 2002 - Krause Catalog description as "male turkey"

Turkeys are native to Mexico and do not exist in the wild in Europe. A Capercaillie is a big European bird sometimes weighing 7 kg or 14 lbs.

The 2005 edition of the Krause Catalog still had the "male turkey" description.

Finland also issued a coin with the Capercaille bird on it:

Finland 10 Markka 1994 Capercaillie
Bi-metallic copper-nickel brass

The Finland coin bird is correctly described in the Krause Catalogs.

Another turkey relative on a coin:

Korea Half Chon 2002 Guinea Fowl

Guinea Fowl are originally from Africa but are now domesticated birds.

JBK

The US showed a turkey on a quarter (forget which one) and a dollar coin.