The South African Two Cents coin (abbreviated as 2c) was a small circulating coin of the Rand currency. Unlike the other denominations, it was not created at decimalisation on 14 February 1961 - there was a 2½ (two and a half cents) coin instead. This was short-lived though and was discontinued only four years later.
When South Africa introduced its Second Decimal Coinage in 1965, there was a Two Cents denomination in it. This first type of Two Cents was made of bronze and was issued until 1990. The first kind of bronze coins had a portrait of Jan van Riebeeck on the obverse and a legend in one language only; each year, two versions of the coin were issued - one in English and one in Afrikaans; this was also the case with the commemorative issue in 1968. In 1970, the obverse was changed to the Coat of Arms of South Africa with a bilingual legend.
The denomination was changed to a smaller copper-plated steel version issued until 2001, after which time it was discontinued.
2c coins issued in 1968 circulated for 22 years until they were replaced with the smaller version.
The 1968 issue commemorates the presidency of Charles Robberts Swart (1894 - 1982) who served as the last Governor General of the Union of South Africa from 1959 to 1961 and the first State President of the Republic of South Africa from 1961 to 1967. |