Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
50 Cents Independence
| Issuer | Government of Botswana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1966 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Cents (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central device depicts the coat of arms of Botswana, featuring a shield charged with three interlocking cogwheels above wavy lines and a bull's head, supported on either side by rampant zebras. A scroll beneath the shield bears the national motto PULA. The circular legend INDEPENDENCE 30 SEPTEMBER 1966 arcs around the upper and side periphery, with the denomination 50 CENTS inscribed along the lower periphery. The Swissmint mintmark B appears in the lower field below the shield. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Botswana achieved independence on September 30, 1966, becoming one of the few sub-Saharan nations to transition without armed conflict or prolonged colonial resistance. This coin was struck for that occasion, part of a matched independence set — the first coinage issued under the new republic's name, replacing the British Bechuanaland Protectorate's reliance on South African currency.
The .800 silver specification mirrors the standard used across many British Commonwealth commemorative issues of the 1960s, likely chosen to signal monetary credibility to international markets skeptical of newly independent African states.