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Details:
OOM PAUL MINTMARKED "COIN WORLD" R2 COINS
applies to all the coins
R 2 - Weight: 5.5 grams Diameter: 23.00 mm
Description:
South Africa’s Two Rand coin
South Africa’s Two Rand coin has a longer history than most people realise. Although the current nickel plated copper circulation coin was first introduced in 1989, there was an earlier, gold Two Rand coin minted every year from 1961 to 1983. This was an investment coin identical in dimension, weight and fineness to the sovereign of the pre-decimal English system. Indeed, at the time of South Africa’s currency decimalisation, Two Rand was the equivalent face value of one Pound. Practically, though, the 1989 Two Rand coin was the successor to the blue Two Rand note, which it replaced in circulation.
The reverse of the coin bears an image of a male Greater Kudu, a large antelope found throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa but not, interestingly, in most of South Africa itself.
When initially released in 1989, the coin bore an image of the South African coat of arms on the obverse along with the name of the country in both Afrikaans and English, the two national languages of the time. After South Africa’s political changes, a further nine languages received official status in the country and the obverse designs of circulation coins were updated accordingly. From 1996 to 2000 the obverse of the Two Rand coin carried the same coat of arms with the name of the country written in the Xhosa language that is endemic to the Eastern Cape province. In 2000 the obverse design was changed again to depict a new coat of arms with the Xhosa legend. Both the old and the new obverse designs are found carrying the 2000 date but only the new arms were used from 2001 onwards. source Andrew On Coins
Source: South African Commemorative Medals
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