Once the most abundant bird in North America, the last known passenger pigeon died captive in a Cincinnati zoo in 1914. Passenger pigeons are largely believed to have been wiped out by mass-scale commercial hunting combined with habitat loss. However, new research suggests that the populations were already in a cyclical decline when the advent of exploitative hunting practices, tied to a booming trade in pigeon meat aided by railroad expansion, exacerbated the remaining pigeon communities below sustainable numbers.
One in a series of nine, this original elongated penny was designed by Ally Reeves, and made on a machine created by Stuart O. Anderson and Justseeds member Shaun Slifer. While currently producing small runs of single-sided penny editions, the completed machine will produce double-sided pennies matching extinct and critically endangered animals with urban wildlife. Read more about the project...
Please note: while these pennies were all cleaned prior to rolling, each will bear individual variations as a result of their former existence as circulated currency, showing various patinas and markings per penny.
