5 Cedis Death and the Maiden

The "Death and the Maiden" motif has a specific iconographic lineage running from Hans Baldung Grien's early sixteenth-century paintings through Egon Schiele, with the theme variously interpreted as erotic allegory, memento mori, and social critique depending on the century. Ghana's decision to issue it is commercially driven — the Bank of Ghana has aggressively expanded its bullion and collector coin program since the early 2020s, partnering with European distributors targeting the numismatic gift market rather than domestic circulation.

Gold-plated .999 silver at one troy ounce is the workhorse format of the modern collector coin industry, and 2025 output from this program runs into the tens of thousands of units.