HAVE you seen the newest R5 coin put into circulation by the South African Mint?
Launched in 2015 to commemorate 200 years of the Griqua Town coin, the SA Mint says the Griqua coin was initially produced as currency for Griqua Town in 1815 and was the first local currency of SA.
The commemorative R5 coin has become part of regular circulation as legal tender and holds no superior value to other R5 coins.
The original Griqua Town coins were a quarter, half, five and ten pence set with the emblem of the London Missionary Society – a flying dove with an olive branch in its beak.
Coin collectors will be happy to know a range of valuable Griqua Town commemorative R2 and R5 coins are also available.
“For the coin collector, a numismatic coin range, available from the SA Mint, comprises of a proof quality R5 coin, two R2 sterling silver, crown-sized coins, and a R2 ¼-ounce 24 ct gold coin. The proof-quality R5 coin bears on the reverse, a rendition of the two sides of the original five ‘pence’ 1815 Griqua coin, slightly overlapped. The obverse of the new coin features the national coat of arms and the year ‘2015’.
The two R2 sterling silver crown-size coins are uniquely designed, featuring part (half) of the obverse design of original Griqua Town coin, each capturing part of the words Griqua Town, numeral five and beading of the 1815 coin. When the two coins are overlapped, one complete image of the orIginal Griqua Town coin is formed.
The third product in this range is a R2 ¼-ounce 24 carat gold coin, which bears on the reverse the partial image of the obverse 1815 coin which bears the image of a dove with an olive branch in its beak, the words ‘1815 bicentennial 2015’ and ‘Coinage of Griqua Town’ along the perimeter of the coin. The obverse of the gold coin has the South African coat of arms, the words ‘2015’ and ‘South Africa’,” read a statement from the SA Mint.
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