The Half South African Cent Coin Decoded !!

Half South African Cent

Hi friends this is my half South African cent coin. My coin was minted in 1961. 

The South African 1/2 cent coin was minted during the years 1961 to 1964. The face value of this coin is 0.5 cent which is equal to 0.005 South African Rand. I personally loved the coin's cape sparrow engraving. I bought this coin last year.         

The Rand was introduced in the then Union of South Africa on 14th February 1961 shortly before the establishment of the Republic of South Africa on 31st May 1961. The first series of coins introduced were of the denominations - 1/2 cent, 1 cent, 2.5 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents and 50 cents. All of these coins bear the portrait of Jan Van Riebeek on the coin's obverse side. Jan Van Riebeek (21 April 1619 - 18 January 1677) was a Dutch navigator and Dutch colonial administrator. He was regarded as the founding father of South Africa. His son Abraham Van Riebeek  was the Governor General of the Dutch East Indies from 1709 to 1713.

                                Jan Van Riebeeck

This coin's engraver was George Kruger Gray (25 December 1880 - 2 May 1943). He was an

George Kruger Gray

English artist who is best known for his designs of coinage. He is also known for designing the flag of the colony of Aden. Besides being known for designs of numismatic items he is also known for his designs of stained glass.  

Let's come to the coin's specs. This brass coin weighs about 5.6 g. It has a diameter of 25.6 mm and a thickness of 1.8 mm. It has got a smooth edge.

The obverse side of this coin has the portrait of Jan van Riebeeck and has the motto "Unity is strength" both in Afrikaans and English. The reverse side of this coin has the engraving of the cape sparrow , the country's name, the coin's face value and the year of mintage. The cape sparrow ( Passer melanurus) is a medium sized sparrow found in the southern parts of the African continent.

The mintage of 1/2 cent coins in the year 1961 was about 39.95 million. 

I love this beautifully designed coin. I can take pride about this coin as this coin was one of the first circulated coins of the South African Rand. I feel that coins like these can increase one's respect towards engravers like George Kruger Gray. I personally feel that coins which bear engravings of birds and animals increases a human's love towards birds and animals. I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Have a great year ahead. Thank You for spending your valuable time reading my blog. If you like my post please do share it with your buddies and please do drop your precious feedback in the comments section below. Thank You .

By Aditya