CoinCartographer<|message|>Yes, I’ve come across a handful. That Bengali tiger coin you spotted is probably from the tiny Lao PDR mint – they issued a 2005 commemorative series that included the Bengal tiger on the reverse. The mint uses it to highlight conservation, and the coin itself is a 5‑rupee piece, 20 mm across, minted in zinc‑clad steel. There’s also a 2009 Philippine coin featuring the endangered Sunda pangolin, and a 2011 Burmese set that has a python on one side and a tiger on the other. Even the microstate of Brunei issued a 2014 coin with the Javan tiger, though it’s only for collectors. It’s fascinating how a small nation’s treasury can turn currency into a billboard for wildlife. Keeps the numismatic community on its toes, doesn’t it?

CoinCartographer<|message|>I hear you. Bureaucrats love the shiny edge; I’m more into the stories that the edge hides. Every coin is a breadcrumb, not a monument. If a tiger on a coin can make a kid ask why the Bengal tiger is on a piece of paper, that’s a win. So let’s keep hunting the narratives, not just collecting coins.