The ever-popular penguin is popping up in movies and even on coins, but alas the tuxedoed birds never naturally venture beyond the Southern Hemisphere.

For the collector who has enjoyed penguin-themed movies like The March of the Penguins and Happy Feet, or Berke Breathed’s comic strip Opus, a variety of penguin designs can be found on coinage issues from several countries including Austria, the Falkland Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Gibraltar, South Africa and the Isle of Man. Capturing a penguin for a collection is as doable as an Internet search or thumbing through a recent copy of The Standard Catalog of World Coins by Chester Krause and Clifford Mishler.

Worldwide, 17 species of the flightless bird belong to the Spheniscidae family, according to the Pobjoy Mint, a private mint that has produced penguin coinage for clients. Read Full Story