September is Heritage Month, and the South African Mint also celebrate World Rhino Day on 22nd September. True to its claim as the purveyor of South Africa’s heritage, the South African Mint recently launched the Big 5 Series II Rhino coin collection, in time to give all customers an opportunity to own a unique and long-lasting celebration of these precious parts of the country’s wildlife heritage.
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 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 paleontology, as with the R2 ¼oz gold coin introduced in 1997, highlighting the importance of the cultural heritage to the South African Mint and the work that they 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 Color Coins featuring our beautiful natural heritage in color 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.”
For further information visit the South African Mint website.
You can find more coins from the South African Mint in our online database, Cosmos of Collectibles.
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