Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 50 Rupees 1975, KM# 41a, Mauritius, Elizabeth II, Conservation, Mauritius Kestrel
  • 50 Rupees 1975, KM# 41a, Mauritius, Elizabeth II, Conservation, Mauritius Kestrel
Description

British Mauritius was a British crown colony. Formerly part of the French colonial empire, the crown colony of Mauritius was established after a British invasion in 1810 and the subsequent Treaty of Paris that followed. It later gained independence as a Commonwealth realm on 12 March 1968.

In 1974 the Mauritius kestrel was close to extinction, with only five or, possibly, six known birds of which two in captivity and a solitary breeding female. In 1985, numbers were estimated to have increased slightly in the wild, but it remained critically endangered at fewer than 15 individuals. After considerable pioneering conservation efforts by Carl G. Jones and Abdool Wahab Owadally the numbers had increased to circa 400 birds in 2019. This conservation achievement is regarded as one of the most successful and best documented bird restoration projects in the world. It was proclaimed the national bird of Mauritius in March 2022 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Republic of Mauritius.

Obverse

Second crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara enclosed by HM name with date.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

Engraver: Arnold Machin

QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND 1975

Reverse

Depicts a flying Mauritius kestrel holding a pery (lizard), country name above and denomination below.

The Mauritius kestrel (Falco punctatus) is a bird of prey from the family Falconidae endemic to the forests of Mauritius, where it is restricted to the southwestern plateau's forests, cliffs, and ravines. It is the most distinct of the Indian Ocean kestrels. It colonized its island home to evolve into a distinct species probably during the Gelasian (Late Pliocene). It is the most distant living species among the western Indian Ocean kestrels (Groombridge et al. 2002, qv Réunion kestrel).

Engraver: Christopher Ironside

MAURITIUS
50 RUPEES

Edge

50 Rupees

2nd portrait
KM# 41a Schön# 41a
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 35 g
Diameter 42 mm
Thickness 3 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Mint

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