The mintage figures for the Conservation Series reveal just how small many of the gold issues in this international conservation series actually are. The so-called Conservation Coin Collection was created in collaboration with the then World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The complete collection comprised 24 country sets, each containing one gold coin and two silver coins – a total of 24 gold and 48 silver coins .
This page focuses exclusively on the 24 gold coins . For each gold issue, both uncirculated and proof versions are documented. Since the two minting qualities have different mintages, they are listed separately.
Short answer: For the gold coins of the Conservation Series, the documented mintages range from 455 to 5,333 pieces in Brilliant Uncirculated condition and from 148 to 1,369 pieces in Proof condition . The lowest Proof mintage was Colombia in 1978 with only 148 gold coins.
Conservation Series – Mintage figures for the gold coins
| Year | Issue | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Costa Rica – 1,500 Colones – Giant Anteater | Mint condition: 2,418 Proof: 726 |
| 1974 | Indonesia – 100,000 Rupiah – Komodo dragon | Mint condition: 5,333 Proof: 1,369 |
| VS 2031 (1974) | Nepal – 1,000 Rupees – Indian Rhinoceros | Mint condition: 2,176 Proof: 671 |
| 1974 | Tanzania – 1,500 Shilingi – Cheetah with cubs | Mint condition: 2,779 Proof: 866 |
| BE 2517 (1974) | Thailand – 5,000 Baht – White-eyed Swallow | Mint condition: 2,602 Proof: 623 |
| 1975 | Mauritius – 1,000 Rupees – Mascarene Flycatcher | Mint condition: 1,966 Proof: 716 |
| 1975 | Venezuela – 1,000 Bolívares – Andean rock rooster | Mint condition: 5,047 Proof: 483 |
| 1975 | Zaire – 100 Zaires – Leopard | Mint condition: 1,415 Proof: 279 |
| 1976 | Malaysia – 500 Ringgit – Malayan tapir | Mint condition: 2,894 Proof: 508 |
| 1976 | Mongolia – 750 Tugrik – Przewalski horse | Mint condition: 929 Proof: 374 |
| AH 1397 (1976) | Oman – 75 Omani Rials – Arabic Tahr | Mint condition: 825 Proof: 325 |
| 1976 | Pakistan – 3,000 Rupees – Astor Markhor | Mint condition: 902 Proof: 273 |
| AH 1396 (1976) | Sudan – 100 Pounds – Sabre | Mint condition: 872 Proof: 251 |
| 1977 | Gambia – 500 Dalasis – Sitatunga | Mint condition: 699 Proof: 285 |
| AH 1397 (1977) | Jordan – 50 Dinars – Houbara Bustard | Mint condition: 829 Proof: 287 |
| EE 1970 (1977/78) | Ethiopia – 600 Birr – Walia Ibex | Mint condition: 547 Proof: 160 |
| 1978 | Afghanistan – 10,000 Afghanis – Marco Polo Sheep | Mint condition: 694 Proof: 181 |
| 1978 | Botswana – 150 Pula – Black-backed Hyena | Mint condition: 664 Proof: 219 |
| 1978 | Colombia – 15,000 Pesos – Ocelot | Mint condition: 490 Proof: 148 |
| 1978 | Fiji – 250 Dollars – Banded Fiji Iguana | Mint condition: 810 Proof: 252 |
| 1978 | Malawi – 250 Kwacha – Nyala | Mint condition: 566 Proof: 208 |
| 1978 | Seychelles – 1,500 Rupees – Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher | Mint condition: 683 Proof: 201 |
| 1979 | Falkland Islands – 150 Pounds – Falkland Fur Seal | Mint condition: 488 Proof: 164 |
| 1979 | Zambia – 250 Kwacha – African Wild Dog | Mint condition: 455 Proof: 245 |
Note regarding the dates: Some coins bear dates from other calendar systems, either additionally or exclusively. In the case of Ethiopia , EE 1970 corresponds to the transition of the Gregorian years in 1977/78. Numismatic catalogs therefore sometimes assign the issue to 1977 and sometimes to 1978. The original date, EE 1970, remains authoritative.
Which gold coins in the Conservation Series have the lowest mintages?
Among the uncirculated issues , Zambia 1979 has the lowest documented print run with 455 copies . This is followed by the Falkland Islands with 488, Colombia with 490, and Ethiopia with 547.
The numbers are even lower for Proof coins. Colombia 1978, with 148 copies, has the lowest Proof print run of the 24 Gold issues. This is followed by Ethiopia with 160, the Falkland Islands with 164, and Afghanistan with 181 copies.
At the other end of the scale is Indonesia: The 100,000 rupiah gold coin with the Komodo dragon is the highest-circulation gold issue within this overview, with 5,333 uncirculated and 1,369 proof coins .
Why print run does not determine market value
A low mintage is only one aspect of rarity. With the Conservation Series , minting quality, condition, certification grade, cameo contrast, population, and collector demand can all significantly influence market value. Therefore, two coins of the same year and with the same original mintage can be valued considerably differently on the market.
Especially with rarely offered proof editions, an exceptionally high mintage can trigger a significant collector’s premium. A mintage table should therefore not be interpreted as a price list. We explain more about this in our collector’s page ” Why Mintage Counts – The Mintage Principle Explained” .
Two special features in the classification
Ethiopia EE 1970
The 600-birr gold coin featuring the Walia ibex bears the Ethiopian date EE 1970. Several catalog sources agree on a mintage of 547 pieces in uncirculated condition and 160 proof . Due to the conversion of the Ethiopian calendar, the coin is sometimes found on the market with dates of both 1977 and 1978.
Venezuela and the wing variants
Venezuela’s 1,000-bolívares gold coin features variations of the Andean cock-of-the-rock with differently detailed wings. However, the cataloged mintage of 5,047 uncirculated pieces does not reliably represent a separate mintage figure for each individual wing variation. Therefore, no artificial breakdown between the variations is provided on this page. The proof mintage is listed as 483 pieces.
Anyone wishing to see individual coins from the series, certified specimens and currently available pieces can find them on our page Buy Conservation Series Gold Coins .
Sources and Methodology
This overview is an independent editorial compilation of the 24 gold issues of the Conservation Series. The selection, table structure, country assignments, and the separate presentation of uncirculated and proof conditions were created specifically for this page. External table structures were not adopted.
For the scope and historical background, contemporary documents from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Royal Mint Museum were evaluated. The 1974 IUCN Bulletin describes the Conservation Coin Collection as a program of 24 countries, in which each country issued one gold and two silver coins.
The specific mintage figures were cross-checked coin by coin against several numismatic catalog entries. In particular, information from Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World (9th edition, 2017) and the Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-2000 (47th edition, 2019) was compared. Where entries differed, no average was calculated and no supposedly exact figure was constructed.
Only values that, after cross-checking, can be reliably classified as the mintage or mintage of the respective uncirculated or proof issue were included. Sales figures, product limits, or estimated values are not given as mintage figures.
Sources
- IUCN Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 5, No. 6 (1974) : contemporary description of the Conservation Coin Collection with 24 countries and one gold and two silver coins each.
- Royal Mint Museum – Coins of Jordan : historical classification of the Conservation Coin Collection as an international project in collaboration with the WWF.
- Catalogue reference for cross-checking: Arthur L. Friedberg and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World: From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th edition, 2017.
- Catalog reference for cross-checking: Thomas Michael and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-2000, 47th edition, 2019.
Data as of September 15, 2026. Historical mintage figures may be supplemented or corrected if new mint records become available or later catalog corrections are published. All information is provided without guarantee.