Coin | Silver Crown 2018 Computed Tomography |
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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 and metals, such as a silver one-ounce (1 oz) format. These include silver 1 oz Krugerrands, the Protea series, the Natura series, as well as one-year types that do not fall into a particular series. Some are made of Sterling silver (92.5%) alloyed with copper, just like the British pre-decimal Crown coins, and some are 99.9% silver. The Sterling versions are overall heavier though, so they also contain exactly one ounce of pure silver or 1oz Absolute Silver Weight (1.000 oz ASW); they are called "Crowns" in the "Crown and Tickey" coin sets in which some of them are issued, and are officially denominated as two, five or ten Rands.
This coin, denominated as Two Rands (R 2) is part of the Crown and Tickey series of South African coins issued with different themes every year by the South African Mint to celebrate South Africa’s history and achievements.
The 2018 South African Inventions theme features Computed Tomography (CT), invented by Allan McLeod Cormack. The CT is an imaging procedure that uses special X-ray equipment to create detailed pictures or scans of areas inside the body. It is also termed computerised tomography and computerised axial tomography (CAT). It uses computer-processed combinations of many X-ray measurements taken from different angles to produce cross-sectional (tomographic) images (virtual "slices") of specific areas of a scanned object, allowing the user to see inside the object without cutting. The 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to South African American physicist Allan M. Cormack and British electrical engineer Godfrey N. Hounsfield "for the development of computer assisted tomography." |
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Obverse | |
The obverse shows the Coat of Arms of South Africa at centre, dividing the date 2018, with the legend SOUTH AFRICA written around in all the eleven official languages of the country, the inscriptions in a pentagonal pattern with two rows on each side: Ningizimu Afrika in Zulu, Aforika Borwa in Tswana, Afurika Tshipembe in Venda, Afrika Borwa in Northern Sotho and Southern Sotho, iSewula Afrika in Southern Ndebele, South Africa in English, uMzantsi Afrika in Xhosa, iNingizimu Afrika in Swazi, Afrika Dzonga in Tsonga, and Suid-Afrika in Afrikaans.
The designer's initials ALS (for Arthur L. Sutherland) are to the left of the Coat of Arms. |
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Reverse | |
The reverse of the coin shows a human head indicating the area to the scanned, with overlaid computer printouts. The circle on the crown is a place holder for the smaller "tickey" coin which, when placed onto the crown, gives the impression of a CAT-scan.
Under the circle, the value and denomination R 2 (Two Rand), below which COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY. Above right, 1956.
Around below left, the metal content and composition: 1oz Ag925 Cu75 (one ounce silver, 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper).
Above left, the initials of the die-sinker, PB (for Paul Botes). |
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Reverse Inscription |
R 2 COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY 1956 1oz Ag925 Cu75 |
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Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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Notes | 228 individually carded coins (from limit of 1,000; issue price R 995), plus coins in sets. |
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