The U.S. Mint decided to honor America’s Pacific Island Territory on the 2020 quarter, but they are probably now regretting the image they used on the coin. On the back side of these quarters is an image of the American Samoan fruit bat. While the decision to include the bat seemed innocent pre-coronavirus, many now see it as a bit creepy, given the current circumstances.
Many theories on the origins of COVID-19 trace the virus back to bats. However, the decision to include the image of a bat on the 2020 quarter came well before the spread of the coronavirus. The coin began circulating in February and includes an image of a fruit bat native to the National Park of American Samoa.
“The image evokes the remarkable care and energy that this species puts into their offspring. The design is intended to promote awareness to the species’ threatened status due to habitat loss and commercial hunting," said the U.S. Mint before the coins release. Still, since the spread of COVID-19, all anyone can think of when seeing the coin is the current pandemic. While the similarities are just a coincidence, now the image on these coins will have extra meaning in the future.
Via TMZ