Coins of the South African rand facts for kids
The coins of the South African rand are the physical money used in South Africa. They are part of the country's currency, which is called the South African rand.
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First Coins: 1961–1964
The rand currency started in South Africa on February 14, 1961. This was just before South Africa became a Republic on May 31, 1961. The rand replaced the old South African pound. It introduced a new system called decimal currency. This meant that 100 cents (100c) equaled 1 rand (R1). Before, 1 rand was worth 10 shillings, and 1 cent was worth 1.2 pence.
The first coins had a picture of Jan van Riebeeck on the front. He was an important historical figure in South Africa.
Here are the first coins that were used:
- 1⁄2 cent (this was like the old halfpenny coin)
- 1 cent (like the old 1 penny coin)
- 21⁄2 cents (this replaced the 3 pence coin and was nicknamed Tickey because it was the smallest)
- 5 cents (like the old 6 pence coin)
- 10 cents (like the old 1 shilling coin)
- 20 cents (like the old 2 shilling coin)
- 50 cents (like the old 5 shilling coin)
These first coins were the same size as the older South African coins. All of them, except the half cent and 1 cent, were made of silver. Some older coins, like the farthing and half-a-crown, were not made in the new decimal system.
South Africa also made two special bullion coins. These were the 1 rand and 2 rand gold coins. They replaced the gold half-pound and pound coins. These gold rand coins were very similar to the British half-sovereign and sovereign gold coins. They were made of a special gold mix called crown gold, which is 22 carat gold (91.67% pure). The back of these gold rand coins showed a famous picture of a jumping springbok. This design was created by Coert Steynberg.
Changes to Coins: 1965–1990
In 1965, a new set of coins was introduced. These coins included the 1⁄2, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cent coins. Instead of silver, the new coins were made of nickel.
At first, these coins still had the picture of Jan van Riebeeck. Later, they featured pictures of the State Presidents of South Africa or the South African coat of arms. The country's name was written in Afrikaans, English, or sometimes both languages. The 1⁄2 cent coin was stopped being used in daily life in the 1970s. However, special collector versions were still made until 1983.
The gold rand coins were made until 1983. But from 1967, they slowly started to be replaced by the Krugerrand coins. The Krugerrand became even more popular when smaller sizes were introduced in 1980. The 1 rand coin was made of silver from 1967. But from 1970 to 1990, the 1 rand coins became smaller and were made of nickel.
Modern Coins: 1989–2022
New coins started to appear from 1989. A new R2 coin was introduced, and later an R5 coin. These new coins replaced all the older ones. From 1990 to 1995, the coins had the country's coat of arms and name in English and Afrikaans. After 1996, the coins started to show the country's name in one of South Africa's 11 new official languages.
The 10, 20, and 50 cent coins were slightly changed. Their numbers were made bigger. From the year 2000, coins started to feature South Africa's new coat of arms. From 2002, the R1, R2, and R5 coins showed the country's name in two of the official languages.
The 1 cent and 2 cent coins stopped being made at the end of March 2002. The 5 cent coin stopped being made on April 1, 2012. The 10 cent coin, which used to be bronze-plated steel, is now made of copper-plated steel. Even though 5 cent coins are still legal, they are rarely seen. Most prices are now rounded to the nearest 10 cents.
In 2004, a new R5 coin was introduced. It was a bi-metallic coin, meaning it was made of two different metals. It also had special security features, like a grooved edge and tiny letters, to prevent fake coins.
The gold Krugerrand coin is still made in different sizes: 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz. In 2017, a silver Krugerrand was made for the first time to celebrate 50 years of the Krugerrand. The 2017 silver Krugerrand had a special message on it. Since 2018, silver Krugerrands have been made without this special message.
South Africa has also released special commemorative 5 rand coins. These coins are the same size and shape as the regular 5 rand coin but have different designs.
- In 2008, a coin was made for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday.
- In 2011, a coin celebrated 90 years of the South African Reserve Bank.
- In 2015, a coin marked 200 years since the Griqua coinage, which was the first money made in South Africa. This coin has a bird and the years 1815 and 2015 on it.
- In 2017, a coin honored the Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo.
- In 2018, a coin celebrated Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday.
- In 2019, special 2 rand and 5 rand coins were made to celebrate 25 years of democracy in South Africa.
- In 2021, a commemorative 5 Rand coin was released to celebrate 100 Years of the South African Reserve Bank.
As of 2022, no new regular coins have been made since 2019. The last regular coins made in 2019 were the 5 Rand, 50 cent, and 10 cent pieces.
New Coins: From 2023
From January 1, 2023, a brand new set of coins, called the Fourth Decimal Series, became official money in South Africa.
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