ZIMBABWE (2 of 2)
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Zimbabwe's 2003 dated 10 and 25 Dollars
These are the most recent coins I have from Zimbabwe – first
let’s have a look…
Zimbabwe 10 Dollars 2003
(scaled to approximately 250dpi)
10 Dollars, Nickel-plated-Steel,
diameter 21.5mm.
Obverse: soapstone bird
depicted centrally within a ring of beading,
“ZIMBABWE” (between two rhomboid spacers, above-around) and date “2003”
(below-around), all legends outside the ring of beading
Reverse: buffalo depicted with
“$10” above all within a ring of
beading, further legends “ZIMBABWE” (between two rhomboid spacers,
above-around) and denomination “TEN DOLLARS” (below-around), the
further legends being outside the ring of beading.
Rims: the inside edge of the
rim makes a curved hexagon on each side
Edge: reeded
Zimbabwe 25 Dollars 2003
(scaled to approximately 250dpi)
25 Dollars, Nickel-plated-Steel,
diameter 24.5mm.
Obverse: soapstone bird
depicted centrally within a ring of beading,
“ZIMBABWE” (between two rhomboid spacers, above-around) and date “2003”
(below-around), all legends outside the ring of beading
Reverse: depiction of the three
bronze statues on the "Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier" at "Heroes Acre" (a burial ground and a national
monument of Zimmabwe, located near Harare) with “$25” to upper-right
all within a ring of beading, further legends “ZIMBABWE” (between two
rhomboid spacers, above-around) and denomination “TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS”
(below-around), the further legends outside the ring of beading
Rims: the inside edge of the
rim makes a curved octagon on each side
Edge: 5 reeded and 5 plain
sections
For quite some time I had known that these were made at the Bulawayo
Mint in Zimbabwe. Smaller, relatively new, mints such as this one
usually need outside assistance. I asked the British Royal Mint about
this in a Freedom of Information request. They were able to confirm
that they and the Birmingham Mint had assisted in the establishment of
the Bulawayo Mint.
The Royal Mint were also able to tell me a few things specifically
about the 10 and 25 Dollar coins. They told me how, further to an order
received in 2003, they had supplied blanks, dies and collars for these
two types. The year of the order, 2003, fits with the coins being dated
“2003” however; these coins were not released until 1st August 2008.
This was at the point in time when Zimbabwe’s dollar was de-valued at a
rate of ten-thousand-million of the old to just one of the new. This
was exactly two years after a de-valuation by a factor of one-thousand
to one. This was a period of serious hyperinflation; Zimbabwe later
gave up on their Dollar.
What else did I ask the mint? Well, another question I had put to them
was whether they knew which artist was involved in the design and
engraving for the reverses of these two types. They told me how it was
unclear as to who was involved with this and suggested that an artist
in Zimbabwe may have been involved. Further to this, they detailed that
the plaster models for the 10 and 25 Dollars had been prepared at the
Royal Mint.
Finally, as seen in the images above, each piece has a ring of beading
to each side. For each coin, these rings of beading are more or less
where you would expect to see them if they were on bi-metallic coins of
these sizes, following the seam between ring and core. I had asked the
Royal Mint whether it had ever been planned for these two coin types to
have been ringed bi-metallic issues. In their archives, they found
nothing to suggest that this had ever been considered.
NOTE : The background image for this page is the
Soapstone
Bird design as seen on the obverse of every Zimbabwean circulation coin.
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New page "Zimbabwe's 2003 dated 10 and 25 Dollars" added at May-2013.
