For this Wednesday silver post, we head back into the heart of Africa and visit the Republic of Chad. Chad is one of Africa's landlocked countries and has a great variety of wildlife. It is also home to the Big Five, the most dangerous animals of Africa. Those include rhino, lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo. The Republic of Chad decided to honor one of them, the lion, with his own silver coin.
Obverse
On the front, the coin features the portrait of a male lion. It's facing left and is minted in a beautiful mirror finish. The designers did an amazing job at rendering the lion. I love the flowing mane, it's very detailed and looks very organic.
Reverse
The backside is a bit more original than other coins; it doesn't feature a coat of arms or a monarch. In the case of the African Lion, you find the continent of Africa there. It's minted in a bubbly mirror finish texture, mimicking terrain. At the location of Chad, they left a gap. In my opinion a more creative way than the usual coat of arms. Around the continent, there is the denomination of 5000 Central African francs and the fineness of 999.
Conclusion
With a mintage of 50,000 and an excellent design, this coin is one of my favorite coins from the continent of Africa. That concludes our look at the African Lion. Did you enjoy the Lion as much as myself, or aren't you impressed at all with the African Lion?
Dragons like to cuddle with silver, and Elly likes cats. A match made in heaven :)
