1 Protea South African Constitution

The 1996 Constitution coin was issued to mark South Africa's permanent Constitution, which came into force on 4 February 1997 after being signed by President Mandela in Sharpeville — the same township where 69 protesters had been shot dead by police in 1960. The choice of Sharpeville was deliberate and widely noted internationally.

The Protea series, launched in 1986, was South Africa's answer to bullion coins that carried a numismatic premium — distinct from the purely weight-driven Krugerrand.