South African Mint delivers history lessons with new releases

Berlin, Germany – 02 February 2018: Following a very successful 2017, the South African Mint, a subsidiary of the South African Reserve Bank, today announced a slew of new products in their collectables range. , that will appear in the global coin market during the year. Amongst the most noteworthy of the 2018 coins is the ‘Celebrating South Africa’ series which will commemorate the life of distinguished statesman and global icon, Nelson Mandela.

A new bi-metallic R5 circulation and proof quality coin is central to this range, allowing the general South African public and coin collectors alike, the opportunity to celebrate Mandela’s birth centenary.

The ‘Celebrating South Africa’ coin range was introduced in 2017 to commemorate key milestones in South Africa’s democracy with former political leader OR Tambo’s birth centenary being the first subject of the range.

The new Mandela coin depicts the image of a smiling Nelson Mandela on the reverse. This image was specifically chosen to compliment the last two R5 circulation coins issued in 2000 after Nelson Mandela’s presidential term and in 2008 following his 90th birthday. The reverse also depicts the denomination ‘5 RAND’, the words ‘Nelson Mandela Centenary’, the years ‘1918’ and ‘2018’, together with the image.

The obverse of the R5 coin features the national coat of arms, the year ‘2018’ (the year in which the coin will be issued), and the words ‘South Africa’ (English) and ‘Aforika Borwa’ (Setswana). The coin will go into circulation in July, the month of Mandela’s birthday.

According to Tumi Tsehlo, MD, South African Mint, “The new R5 Mandela coin is one of the most secure coins to go into the pockets of South Africans, featuring new latent imaging technology.”
“The latent image on the commemorative circulation coin serves two purposes – it is not only aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but also serves as a security feature which every user of the coin will be able to recognise. The latent image features the years – 1918 and 2018 and will exhibit distinct images depending on the viewing angle.”

Pioneering this technology on the continent, the South African Mint has previously produced similar coins for the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

“2018 is an important year for South Africa as we celebrate a man who helped alter the destiny of our wonderful country. The new R5 Mandela coin continues the fine tradition of immortalising the country’s stalwarts and keeps the history alive. Last year we commemorated OR Tambo’s centenary and his legacy,” adds Tsehlo.

Aside from the introduction of the new R5 Mandela coin, the South African Mint also Introduced a new Krugerrand denomination: the 2018 2 ounce Krugerrand.
The release of the 2oz gold proof Krugerrand is a significant event in the coin’s history spanning over 50 years. Only 200 will be minted and the proof version will carry the same iconic design as the bullion gold coin. The Krugerrand is the world’s most widely held and actively traded gold bullion coin and its status as an investment product is so legendary that it has its own coffee table book which was launched last year.

“The Krugerrand over the past 50 years has been synonymous with trust and value and it is this consistency that will keep the brand relevant and top-of-the-mind over the next five decades,” says Tsehlo.

Among other introductions in 2018 is the Computed Tomography Scan (CT)-themed sterling silver Crown and Tickey coins, the Palaeontology-themed 24ct gold Natura and the return of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere gold and silver coins.

“We are excited to reintroduce the UNESCO Man and Biosphere range which is hugely popular locally and internationally. The birds and flowers selected for the colours coins also come from the biospheres we celebrate in this range,” says Tumi Tsehlo.

“Our 2018 range balances commerce with creativity and we are confident that South Africans and global coin enthusiasts will take a moment to appreciate our efforts.”