Octopus – An Ocean Original in Silver
Few sea creatures combine such an unusual silhouette with such remarkable abilities. Intaglio Mint’s Octopus round places this eight-armed mollusk at the center of a 1 troy ounce .999 fine silver design, bringing a favorite subject of marine life collectors into a 39mm format.
The Animal Behind the Design
Octopuses belong to the cephalopods, a group that also includes squid, cuttlefish and nautiluses. Their eight limbs are arms, rather than the specialized feeding tentacles found in squid and cuttlefish. Suckers help the arms explore, grip and handle food, giving the animal an extraordinary range of movement.
The rounded mantle above the eyes houses internal organs, including three hearts. A hard beak sits at the meeting point of the arms, while the rest of the animal’s flexible body allows it to enter remarkably confined spaces.
A Master of Disguise
An octopus can change its appearance with pigment-bearing structures in the skin called chromatophores. By expanding or contracting these structures, it can alter patterns and colors. This ability helps explain why an animal with such a distinctive shape can be so difficult to spot in its surroundings.
That combination of recognizable form and surprising biology makes the octopus more than a familiar sea-monster silhouette. It is a real animal whose natural adaptations can seem every bit as imaginative as fiction.
Design and Specifications
The obverse centers an octopus, making its body and radiating arms the focus of the composition. The reverse features the high-relief Intaglio Mint logo over a radial burst, surrounded by a stippled border. ONE TROY OUNCE and .999 FINE SILVER identify the metal content, with stars completing the border design.
- Weight: 1 troy ounce
- Purity: .999 fine silver
- Diameter: 39mm
- Thickness: 3.10mm
- Edge: Reeded
- Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated
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