Dinosaur enthusiasts and avid coin collectors, the time has come for you to brace yourself for a collectable coin of epic proportions.
Finance minister Tito Mboweni has officially finalised the designs for the 2020 silver Kruger Rand and the R25 Natura Series collectable coin. Both of which are to be released next year.
Mboweni also gazetted an update to a coin design which makes a leopard featured in a Big 5 collectable coin series seem less angry.
But what does this have to do with dinosaur enthusiasts?
On Friday, October 11, Mboweni confirmed that South Africa’s next dinosaur-themed collectable coin will feature Coelophysis Rhodesiensis. This was a two-legged carnivorous dinosaur which was approximately 3 metres tall.
Mboweni formalised the design by publication in the Government Gazette, declaring the 1-ounce fine silver coin will be legal tender, worth R25, from 1 January 2020.
This brand-new coin will be the latest in the popular Natura series from SA Mint, which has been making the range in gold since 1994. The first silver coin was announced in November 2018.
What makes this coin truly special is that it is due to be released in a run limited to 50 000 coins.
Furthermore, in a related update, the Reserve Bank announced a minor change to an upcoming series of coins featuring a leopard, which will look considerably less angry and aggressive.
This follows Mboweni gazetting the designs for a “Big 5” series of coins in gold, silver, and platinum in March. The designs feature leopards and rhinos, which are due to be issued on 1 January 2020.
The leopard coin features an animal with its ears pulled back sharply, leaving with a rather angry expression.
With the design now adjusted, the Reserve Bank said the leopard now seems less likely to pounce on prey.
With the imminent release of the coins, dinosaur enthusiasts, nature lovers and coin collectors have much too look forward to in 2020.
