1995 Alaska Medallion - The Puffin

Current List Price $250.00

Please CONTACT US for availability information.

The one ounce proof silver Puffin had a final mintage of 7,500 and issued at $29.95 in 1995. This is a striking medallion, one of the most popular in the series. Click the above image to see its detail.

"With their happy colorful face and clown-like personality, these little birds always inspire a smile!" Anchorage resident Debra Dubac, designer of the 1995 Official State Medallion, says this is why she chose the puffin.

Two species of puffins live in Alaskan waters, the Horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata) and the Tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata). They belong to the family Alcidae. Puffins are easily recognizable by their large colorful beak. Their beaks are larger and more colorful in the summer nesting season than in the winter season when they shed their bill's outer layer, which leaves a smaller drab-colored beak. Puffins are agile birds on land, but when they take to the air, they become a bit awkward.

Silver Trivia:
Throughout the ages, silver jewelry has been associated with magical powers; believed to promote healing, bring good luck and for warding off evil spirits to the wearer. While these beliefs are not part of mainstream thinking today, some people still hold them true

Silver has always been held in high esteem and displayed as a status symbol since it was mined approx. 4,000 BC in Asia Minor. In the earliest Egyptian records, it was considered more precious than gold.