South African Mint reveals new colour coins at the Cape Town Flower Show

The South African Mint revealed the first-ever South African colour coins at the highly successful inaugural Cape Town Flower Show held on 27 to 30 October 2016, at the Castle of Good Hope. The crown-sized coins are a first-of-a-kind innovation in South Africa that sees colour applied to coins.

In 2015, the South African Mint launched the UNESCO Man and Biosphere coin range, celebrating the rich diversity of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. It was this inaugural range that inspired the creation of the new colour coins, which depict the fauna and flora of the Kogelberg area.

This latest range consists of two R5 (1 oz) sterling-silver coins depicting flowers and two R10 (1 oz) sterling-silver coins depicting birds – all in colour- and only 500 of each coin will be minted. The first R5 coin features a beautiful flowering blue-bearded disa, while the second coin depicts the striking Hermanus cliff gladiolus, situated in its natural habitat of rocky sandstone outcrops and cliffs.

The first R10 coin features the vibrant orange-breasted sunbird displaying its colourful plumage of bright metallic blue, violet, olive green, orange and yellow. The second R10 coin features a male Cape rock-jumper with its dark rufous breast and belly. On the common obverse of the four coins, is a map of South Africa indicating the location of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.

The coins were launched at the well-attended Cape Town Flower Show, where the South African Mint sponsored the Floral Theatre, Leon Kluge’s Origami Garden and the popular Master Florist competition. The Floral Theatre showcased the beautiful world of cut flowers with curated, floral displays in four themes: wedding, gifting, celebration and indigenous.

The Master Florist competition was a popular feature of the Flower Show, where twelve floral artists ranging from amateur to professional-level, were pitted against each other over the four days. The twelve finalists, shortlisted from a nation-wide search that began months before the event, were challenged to show their flower design skill for the main prize of R20, 000 and their very own sterling-silver colour coin, sponsored by the South African Mint. The pre-recorded daily challenges were screened to the Flower Show attendants on a daily basis and the main prize was awarded live on stage on the final day, Sunday 30 October 2016.

“Through coin-making, we view ourselves as narrators of the rich heritage of our country,” said Tumi Tsehlo, Managing Director of the South African Mint. “This is a role we take seriously as the official mint of South Africa, and one that has provided us with opportunities to innovate. We proudly present an aspect of our natural heritage, for the first time in glorious colour. These collectable coins are not only for avid coin collectors; we are thrilled to see how well they were received by the general public, both young and old, at the Cape Town Flower Show.”

Collectable coins, such as the new colour coin range, are a great way of celebrating and commemorating significant events, people, and the overall heritage of a nation. The South African Mint has invested in the technology which makes the manufacturing of these special colour coins a reality and ensures that the entire product is manufactured locally.

These collectable colour coins are available for purchase at the South African Mint retail store in Centurion.