The South African Mint Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the South African Reserve Bank has announced the Big 5 Series ll Rhino coin collection in celebration of South Africa’s heritage.
September is Heritage Month, and World Rhino Day is also celebrated on 22 September.
The Mint Company said the coin was launched in time to give their customers an opportunity to own a unique and long-lasting celebration of these precious parts of the country’s wildlife heritage.
This followed the launch of the Elephant and Lion coin collections in the Big Five Series II range.
The Rhino, like the Elephant, is one of the few remaining megafauna still living, weighing at least one tonne in adulthood.
The subtle new design on the obverse features the Rhino’s distinctive horn as the focus point of the coin, filling up more than half the surface.
“The beauty of this design, coupled with the value of the precious metal and the association with Africa’s most famous animals, have placed the collection among the most popular collector’s items,”the Mint Company said in a statement.
“The Rhino coins, part of the Big 5 Series II range, are just the latest in the South African Mint’s quest to memorialise not only South Africa’s wildlife heritage but its history as well,” says Honey Mamabolo, South African Mint Managing Director.
“Since the earliest times, coins have been collected not only for their own intrinsic beauty but also because they link us to our history,” she says.
South Africa’s heritage is a constant theme that has run through the South African Mint’s commemorative coins over the years, and this is evident even in our flagship product, the legendary Krugerrand, which since its introduction in 1967, has carried an image of one of the country’s national animals, the springbok.
South Africa’s first 24-carat gold proof coin collection, Natura, which was launched in the highly significant year of 1994, celebrated the fauna of Africa, including its palaeontology, as with the R2 ¼oz gold coin introduced in 1997, highlighting the importance of our cultural heritage to the South African Mint and the work that we do.
Some of the country’s flora and fauna has been captured over the years on various collections, such as the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere coin range, which was launched in 2015, and similarly with the 2016 established Colour Coins featuring our beautiful natural heritage in colour on a coin.
The R1 gold first released in 1997, showcased in almost 10 years the cultural heritage of the various tribes in South Africa.
“The South African Mint has over the years been a pioneer in telling the stories of South Africa through our beautifully designed and master crafted coins, which have in turn become physical representations of the country’s rich heritage. Our coin collections have given many, and continue to offer all, a way of ‘possessing’ that history,” concludes Mamabolo.
“In fact, these coins themselves will ultimately become part of our heritage, which is why they are so collectable.”
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