Since 2005 Sierra Leone has been releasing sets of 4 African Wildlife Crown-size Copper-Nickel One Dollar coins. The 2005 Set honored the crocodile, giraffe, mountain gorilla and hippotamus. The 2006 set honored the chimpanzee, impala, camel and lion. The 2007 set honored the cheetah, elephant, rhinoceros, and zebra. Here's a photo showing the reverses of the 2005 coins courtesy of joelscoins.com: http://www.joelscoins.com/images/sierraleone05br.jpg Before you view the other reverses I want to let you see what is on the obverse of these African Wildlife coins so here's a photo of a 1987 Sierra Leone 1 Leone. That's Sierra Leone's National Arms on the dated side AND that's what's on the obverse of the African Wildlife coins (courtesy of World Coin Gallery): http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...-43&desc=Sierra Leone km43 1 Leone (1987,1988) Here's a photo of the 2006s: http://www.joelscoins.com/images/sl06animalsetr.jpg Here are the 2007s: http://www.joelscoins.com/images/sierraleone07zr.jpg Here's the Headline connection: In 2008 all four animals being honored are nocturnal in nature (they sleep during the day and only seek food and recreation at night). The four animals featured on these coins are bush baby, honey badger, pygmy hippopotamus and a duiker. One of Sierra Leone's mint employees suggested setting a precedence with these four coins: "Since all four animals are creatures of the night why not create an original black finish?" All agreed. Here they are (all in Black Uncirculated): http://www.joelscoins.com/images/sierraleone08r.jpg Hope you enjoyed.... Clinker
Great Trivia, Clinker....especially for us World coin collectors and animal lovers...As always :thumb::bow::thumb:
To kidromeo... Thanks for commenting! To Daggarjon... Thanks, again, for commenting! To Coinman1974... Nice to read your comment! Clinker
Very interesting, as usual, Clinker. I have a Washington quarter that is toned almost black so logically I have a question about these. If they tone over time will the eventually achieve "blast white"?
As usual, nice trivia Clinker! A couple of notes though. 1. Sierra Leone does not have a mint. It is a poor, ravaged, "feel sorry for" country. Been their several times over the past 15 years. In fact, I'm guessing less than 1/10 of 1 percent of these coins ever get to Sierra Leone. Certainly, no average citizen of Sierra Leone has ever seen them. 2. Here is a link to the people who make the coins - they're in Europe. All these "private" mints making stuff "for" governments of other countries. I think it's rather mints paying these countries so they can put the country's name on the coins. http://www.pobjoy.com/ukworld/page.php?xPage=index.html
