PMG’s Featured Note of the Month: The Seychelles 25 Rupees

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Country: Seychelles

Catalog Number: Pick# 48a

Date: 2016

Denomination: 25 Rupees

Varieties: This is the only variety.

What makes it special? The 2016 series of Seychelles rupees commemorates the 40^th anniversary of the country’s independence. The notes celebrate Seychelles’ biodiversity and depict various endemic flora and fauna. They’re the first notes in the world to use Thomas de la Rue’s Kinetic StarChrome windowed security thread, which combines color-changing and holographic technologies.

Why is it interesting now? National Bird Day in the United States was on January 5th, and this note prominently features two birds. On the front is the Seychelles Magpie Robin, and on the back is the Seychelles Blue Pigeon.

Did you know? Some birds engage in a practice called brood parasitism. This occurs when a bird lays its eggs in the nest of another bird species. When the eggs hatch, the nest’s unsuspecting owners raise the hatchlings as their own. The common cuckoo is a well-known example of a bird that exhibits this behavior.

Cuckoos have adapted several methods to help ensure that their parasitic eggs are successful. Female cuckoos are fast layers, and some will choose to lay their eggs in the nest of a host with similar-looking eggs. In some cases, male cuckoos will lure the host bird away from the nest while the female lays.

In response, host birds have adapted countermeasures against brood parasitism. Some birds will drive cuckoos out of an area where they are nesting and may reject any eggs that they realize are parasitic. If an egg is rejected, cuckoos may retaliate by destroying the host’s clutch.    

Total graded by PMG: 37

PMG median grade: 66 EPQ

PMG highest graded: 67 EPQ 

Sales highlights: This note can be found on eBay for under $10 raw.

PMG Registry Champion: This note is part of the Seychelles, 1914-Date, PA1-Date and Central Bank of Seychelles, 2016 Issue sets.

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