The obverse of the coin shows at its centre the crowned mature head of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (her effigy known as the "Fourth Portrait"). The Queen wears the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" diamond tiara, a wedding gift from Queen Mary (Her Majesty's grandmother) in 1947 - which she also has on the Machin and the Gottwald portraits.
Normally, the initials of the designer Ian Rank-Broadley are below the neck truncation when this portrait of the Queen is used on coinage, but they are not displayed here.
Around above the effigy is the Queen's legend: ELIZABETH II, followed by the date of issue 2018 and the face value FIVE CEDIS. Around below, separated by those with two five-pointed stars, the legend of the country: * REPUBLIC OF GHANA *.
The background of the obverse is patterned with leopard spots.
It is unclear why the Queen's effigy and legend are shown, given that she was Queen of Ghana only until 1960, after which time the country became a republic. |