Silver Kilo 2024 Big Five - Elephant, Coin from South Africa - detailed information

The South African Mint is one of the pioneers of modern bullion coinage. It started issuing its traditional gold Krugerrand in 1967, and has subsequently expanded its offering both in terms of sizes and metals, and in designs.

The Big Five series started in 2019 with an Elephant design, with a new design issued every six months. The series started its second iteration with the Elephant again, in 2021. The “Big Five” term originated when big game hunters visited the shores of Africa to shoot for trophies, and locals warned them about the five most dangerous animals in Africa: the Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Rhino, and Buffalo.

This is the first design in the Big Five III series by the South African Mint, which celebrates Africa’s unique natural heritage by embodying the strength and beauty of the Big Five animals on legal tender coins.

The “Big Five” term originated when big game hunters visited the shores of Africa to shoot for trophies, and locals warned them about the five most dangerous animals in Africa: the Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Rhino, and Buffalo. The series started in 2019 with the Elephant, with a new design featuring another animal issued every six months thereafter. The second edition of the series started with the Elephant again in 2021. This coin is part of the first release in the third cycle of the series, Big Five III; it differs from the previous two by an updated obverse design.

For the creation of this coin, the South African Mint credits: Paul Botes (die-sinker/engraver), JA Geldenhuys (artist) and RC Stone (designer).