The first issue in Coin Invest Trust’s new Evolution of Life series, minted for Mongolia, celebrates ammonites in detail and high relief.

The silver 500-togrog coin and gold 1,000-togrog coin were announced Dec. 21. 

The obverse of each coin shows the coat of arms of the issuing state, the face value, weight and metal content. The silver version also bears the name of the nation of issue, Mongolia.

The reverses feature an ammonite fossil in high relief; the fossil on the silver coin has a red-gold color. Inscriptions on the reverse reference the series and name the fossil, and on the silver coin additionally refer to the Devonian period to which the fossil dates.

For some 350 million years, between the Devonian and the Cretaceous periods, ammonites populated the ocean in many different shapes and species. They became extinct about 65 million years ago. Today, ammonites, which were often as big as 30 centimeters in diameter, serve as index fossils that are used to link rock layers to geological time periods.

The Antique Finish silver coin weighs 31.1 grams, measures 38.61 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage limit of 999 pieces. The Proof gold coin weighs 0.5 gram, measures 11 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage limit of 15,000 pieces.   

Distributor Coin & Currency Institute will offer the coins to collectors in North America, but pricing wasn’t available because of holidays.

To order, visit the distributor's website.