The inscription ÇİZGİLİ SIRTLAN: the 2014 lira honours the striped hyena, the only hyena whose range extends far beyond Africa.

In Turkey the striped hyena’s populations are small and isolated.

The Turkish State Mint (Darphane) issued bimetallic commemorative 1 lira coins featuring the animals of Turkey from 2009 to 2016, usually two coins at a time. The side with the denomination carries the legend TÜRKİYE CUMHURİYETİ, the inscription 1 TÜRK LİRASI and the date.

The coin went on sale on 7 April 2014 together with its companion, the Long-eared Hedgehog lira.

For a collection this is the Striped Hyena slot in the 2014 Fauna of Turkey series, and together with its companion coin it completes the issue. Uncirculated (UNC) condition means the coin has never been in circulation: there is no wear and the original mint lustre is intact.

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