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5 Rand Life of a Legend, Nelson Mandela
| Issuer | South African Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 2013 |
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| Value | 5 Rand |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Nelson Mandela facing slightly left, rendered in fine relief against a mirror-polished field, with decorative protea foliage and a medallion at the base of the portrait. The legend SOUTH AFRICA arcs along the upper periphery in bold serif lettering, with the date 2013 divided across the lower field on either side of the effigy. The portrait, engraved by Vincent Chipa, captures Mandela in his later years with dignified realism. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
This piece belongs to the "Life of a Legend" series released by the South African Mint in 2013, the year Mandela died in December at age 95. The timing made an already limited commemorative issue immediately more charged in the secondary market, though the Mint had no foreknowledge of that when the series was planned.
The .9999 fine standard — four nines — was not always the benchmark for South African gold. It became the Mint's prestige specification largely on the back of the Krugerrand's global dominance forcing upward refinement competition in the bullion market during the 1980s and 90s.