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5 Kwacha Rat
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of Malawi |
|---|---|
| Year | 2005 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II 2005 MALAWI 5 KWACHA |
| Reverse description | Central multicolour appliqué medallion depicting a stylised rat rendered in traditional Chinese folk-art idiom, shown in a dynamic pose amid luxuriant grapevine foliage bearing clusters of deep-blue grapes, green leaves, and red berries, with a small red butterfly motif above. The rat is rendered in warm brown, yellow, and red tones with a bold circular eye, evoking classical Chinese paper-cut or New Year print traditions. The central coloured disc is set within a recessed field and surrounded by a broad border elaborately decorated with interlaced ruyi cloud-scroll and auspicious zoomorphic motifs in high relief, consistent with Chinese decorative iconography commemorating the Year of the Rat. |
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| Additional information |
Part of Malawi's wildlife-themed circulation coinage series of the early 2000s, the crowned rat depicted on this issue belongs to a category of coins that blurs the line between circulation and collector issue — technically legal tender, but produced in quantities and finishes aimed squarely at the thematic coin market rather than Malawian commerce. The silver plating over copper-nickel was a deliberate cost-reduction measure that still allowed distributors to market the pieces as "silver" in all but strict metallurgical terms.