Collector Spotlight: Speedysquirrel Goes Nuts for Wildlife Coins

As their handle may suggest, Speedysquirrel is a collector who’s all about wildlife and has managed to squirrel away (pardon the pun) a terrific collection of coins on the PCGS Set Registry. But none of this happened overnight. In fact, this collector had dabbled in coin collecting as a child and returned to the hobby about 13 years ago. “My aunt passed away and left me her coin collection,” they explain. “I would occasionally go online and check out what was available or to try and help my aunt find a coin she was looking for.”

Speedysquirrel was initially attracted to China’s Silver Panda coinage based on their range of beautiful designs and relative affordability. “Then I discovered the Australian lunar coins and the Canadian wildlife coins. The fact that these coins were gold and in small weights made them affordable while at the same time adding the feeling of value and something to be treasured.” The designs were a natural fit for the former environmental education teacher, who says they are “passionate about nature and all the unique flora and fauna on this planet.”

Attending the Long Beach Expo helped give Speedysquirrel the motivation they needed to focus their collection on small gold coinage celebrating nature. “The diversity of my coin collection is due to the fact that so many countries around the world feature animals on their coinage,” they said, reeling off some of the countries represented in their PCGS Registry Set, including Australia, Canada, Congo, Palau, South Africa, Tokelau Island, and Ukraine. But the crux of the collection revolves around Chinese Pandas and Mongolian Tugriks.

“The Chinese Pandas were my first set that I focused on because the design on the coin changed every year, and they were the silver one-ounce coins. Now I am focusing on gold coins only, so this collection is in a transitional phase. The Mongolian Tugriks became a focus when I discovered websites where I could purchase them for a reasonable price.”

Among their favorite coins are the 2009 1/25 Crown Isle of Man Chinchilla Cat Crown and 2011 Mongolia 500 Tugrik Endangered Wildlife Ural Owl. But there are so many others they’re pursuing, including the 1/25 Crown 2012 Isle of Man Manx Cat. “It would be an awesome addition if I could find it and afford it!”

An enthusiastic collector, Speedysquirrel has found great reward in building sets on the PCGS Set Registry, which they joined in 2017. They have since earned Best of Registry and Gold Awards on the platform. “Pick a theme that excites you,” they tell collectors who wish to be successful on the PCGS Set Registry. “Research your potential set,” Speedysquirrel added. “Doing your homework is part of the fun and can send you on an unexpected treasure hunt.” And they advise against overstretching yourself financially. “I set an annual budget and stick to it. Patience can be rewarding.”