Coin of the Year: Celebrating Three Decades of the Best in Coin Design and Craftsmanship by Scarinci Donald

Author:Scarinci, Donald [Scarinci, Donald]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2015-04-30T21:00:00+00:00

MOST INSPIRATIONAL

United States, 1 Dollar, Silver, Paralympics

BEST SILVER

Russia, 100 Rouble, Silver, The Nutcracker Ballet, Marsha and the Nutcracker

BEST CROWN

Austria, 500 Schillings, Silver, Innsbruck Town Market

BEST CONTEMPORARY EVENT

Bosnia-Herzegovina, 14 Euro, Silver, Dayton Peace Accord

1999

AWARDS

FOR COINS MINTED IN 1997

COIN OF THE YEAR

South Africa, 1 Rand, Silver, Women of South Africa

South Africa won several awards for coins dated 1997. The 1 Rand gold, First Heart Transplant commemorative, won the award for Best Contemporary Event. The 1 Rand silver, Women of South Africa, won the Most Artistic Coin and went on to win the Coin of the Year.

By 1997, the plight of women in South Africa had been recognized by various human rights groups around the world. Writing on the subject, Waheeda Amien, Gender Convener at the legal aid clinic for the University of South Africa said, “Although women comprise 52% of the South African population, it has been acknowledged that they constitute one of the most marginalized and vulnerable groups in this country.”

The obverse design by A.L. Sutherland depicts the king protea, the national flower of South Africa, in full bloom. It is set in the center of the coin with clean fields on either side. The country name and date is above and below respectively. This design has since been used as the obverse of other 1 Rand coins of South Africa.

Susan Erasmus’ reverse design is an interesting frontal view of a woman’s face cracked by the South African countryside. Below is a lunar landscape. The earth and the moon blend together in the design. They form the coins relief along with the woman’s face suggesting mother earth flowing into sister moon. The word, “protea” creates a link to the flower on the reverse and identifies the coin’s South African focus.

As most coins of South Africa, this one is rare in any grade. In uncirculated, 3,312 were minted and 2,329 were minted in proof.

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