Gold Half Ounce 2018 Rise of the Dinosaurs, Coin from South Africa - detailed information

South Africa pioneered modern bullion coinage when it first issued the Krugerrand on 3 July 1967 to help market South African gold; it is the first modern bullion coin and is still issued today.

Gradually, the South African Mint started diversifying the range, first by issuing fractional Krugerrands, then by introducing different designs to the gold half-ounce (1/2 oz) format. These include the Protea series, the Natura series, as well as one-year types that do not fall into a particular series. The half-Krugerrands retain their specifications (22-carat gold) while the other coin series issued after 1994 are 99.99% gold; just as the half-Krugerrand though, they contain exactly half ounce of pure gold or 1/2 oz Absolute Gold Weight (0.500 oz AGW).

This coin features a Massospondylus carinatus and is part of the Natura coin series by the South African Mint, which celebrates Africa’s unique natural heritage.

The South African Mint says about it:
"A new chapter in the award-winning Natura series begins with the introduction of palaeontology, in recognition of South Africa’s significance to this field and study of plant and animal fossils. In this first instalment of the palaeontology-themed coins, the focus is Rise of the dinosaurs - Archosauria over the five 24ct gold coins.

The Karoo supergroup of South Africa is one of the geological wonders of the world. This 12 km thick layer of sedimentary rock was set down over a period of almost 120 million years when South Africa was still part of southern Gondwanaland.

The Archosauria - crocodiles, pterosaurs, dinosaurs and birds - or the ruling reptiles, were magnificent beasts which ruled over the land and sky for 180 million years, from the Triassic to the Cretacecous periods. The Archosauriforms evolved at the end of the Triassic, finally taking over the last enclaves of synapsid domination. The next step of evolution, which saw the rise of the dinosaurs, crocodiles and pterosaurs, was imminent."

Each coin in this series depicts a different Archosauriform together with its scientific name, the word "Natura", the denomination, mass and metal value of the coin.

The Massospondylus carinatus, one of the best known dinosaurs in the world and also the most common dinosaur species in Southern Africa. Massospondylus is a prosauropod dinosaur and lived in the early Jurassic period, which makes it one of the oldest dinosaurs on earth. It had a typical saurischian type pelvis with a forward-jutting pubis. Its length was 4 m to 6 m and it had a small head, narrow body and long neck and tail. Its hind limbs were much longer and stronger than its front limbs which, together with the morphology of the hips, indicate that it was a bipedal. The small serrated leaf-shaped teeth suggest it was probably an omnivore.

For the creation of the coin, the mint credits: MJ Scheepers (die sinker), F Durand (artist) and RC Stone (designer).