The Black Lizard from Brusnik Island in Ultra-High Relief
Croatia is home to many animals found nowhere else in the world. One of these endemic creatures is a special subspecies of the Dalmatian wall lizard, Podarcis melisellensis melisellensis. The tiny animal – without tail, its body measures just 5-6.5 cm – was the subject of three coins in the Autochthonous Croatia series in March 2024. It consisted of a 100-euro gold coin, a small 10-euro gold coin, and a 4-euro silver coin. Now another coin has been added to the series. On 21 January 2025, the Croatian National Bank, in collaboration with the Croatian Mint, has issued a 6-euro silver coin with the same design, weighing two ounces. What makes this issue so special is that the strictly limited edition of 400 coins is struck in ultra-high relief.
Impression of the 6-euro ultra-high relief coin Black Lizard. Photo: Croatian Mint.
The Black Lizard with Turquoise Spots
The strikingly coloured lizard, with its black body covered with turquoise spots, is a wonderful example of what Charles Darwin called natural selection. It is found only on the island of Brusnik, which broke away from Croatia’s mainland about 18,000 years ago as one of more than 1,000 small islands. Since then, its flora and fauna have been isolated and have developed independently, in harmony with their surroundings.
No people live on the island, which has been a nature reserve since 1951. The sparsely vegetated island of volcanic origin is practically uninhabitable for humans, but things are quite different for the many species of birds and reptiles that have adapted perfectly to the conditions.
Only fishermen used to visit the rugged and fish-rich coasts from time to time. They say that the small lizards acted as a biological warning system. When they were sunbathing on the lava ground, the weather was stable. But when they retreated into their hiding places, a change in weather was imminent.
The 6-euro ultra-high relief coin Black Lizard. Photo: Croatian Mint
The Design
The realistic design was created by Nikola Vudrag. The Croatian Mint brought the President of the Croatian Institute for Biodiversity, Dr Dušan Jelić, on board to ensure that the depiction of the lizard was as realistic as possible. Therefore, the high-relief coin also shows the black lizard with its characteristic small scales from above, with schematic drawings and handwritten notes in the field on its right. The circumscription reads PODARCIS MELISELLENSIS MELISELLENSIS 2025.
The reverse echoes the design of the first issue in the Autochthonous Croatia series: like Dalmatian Dog, Black Lizard shows the head of the animal on a section of a map of Croatia; the Adriatic Sea is marked by fine wavy lines. The circumscription reads REPUBLIKA HRVATSKA CRNA GUŠTERICA (= Black Lizard) 6 EURO.
The high-relief makes the lizard, which is not much larger in real life than on the coin, look extremely realistic.
The coin in its packaging. Photo: Croatian Mint.
Issue Date and Price
Anyone who wanted to obtain one of the ultra high relief issues had to be quick: after the launch on 21 January 2025, it only took a short time for the coins to be completely sold out. The series also includes a 100-euro, a 10-euro and a 4-euro coin. A few remaining specimens of the 10-euro und the 4-euro coins can still be purchased directly from the Croatian Mint website.
|
6 euros |
2025 |
Black Lizard |
62.207 g – 2 ounces |
45 mm |
Silver .9999 |
BU |
400 |
New, sold out |
|
100 euros |
2024 |
Black Lizard |
31.103 g – 1 ounce |
32 mm |
Gold .9999 |
BU |
200 |
Sold out |
|
10 euros |
2024 |
Black Lizard |
1.944 g – 1/16 ounce |
15 mm |
Gold .9999 |
BU |
2000 |
Only a few specimens left |
|
4 euros |
2024 |
Black Lizard |
31.103 g – 1 ounce |
38.61 mm |
Silver .9999 |
BU |
4000 |
Only a few specimens left |
