Catalog
50 Shilingi Conservation
| Issuer | Tanzania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1974 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed effigy of President Julius Kambarage Nyerere in left-facing profile, rendered in fine relief with close-cropped hair rendered in stippled detail. Decorative floral sprigs flank the portrait on either side within the field. The upper legend reads TANZANIA 1974, while the lower legend curves around the base of the portrait reading RAIS WA KWANZA, meaning 'First President' in Swahili. |
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| Reverse description | A Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) depicted in full frontal stance, facing the viewer, rendered in bold sculptural relief at centre. The animal stands on a ground line with naturalistic detail on its hide and horn. The circular legend SHILINGI HAMSINI curves around the upper periphery, flanking the rhinoceros on both sides, while the numeral 50 appears prominently in the lower field, separated from the legend by two raised dots on either side. |
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| Additional information |
Tanzania's 1974 conservation series was issued under the FAO and IUCN-backed wildlife preservation push that prompted dozens of nations to mint commemorative silver during the early 1970s. Tanzania's entry focused on the country's extraordinary game reserves at a moment when poaching pressure on elephant and rhinoceros populations was already becoming politically untenable — the ivory trade ban was still fifteen years away.
The .500 fineness is notably low for a commemorative of this period, when most sovereign issues ran at .900 or .925. It kept production costs down while maintaining the appearance of a silver coin, and most examples entered collections immediately rather than circulation.