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Saturday 16 July 2022

2432) "Rhinoceros (or Rhino)", Republic of Djibouti: "The Big Five Coin Series": A 1,000 Francs Silver Antique Finish (AF) Spherical Kilo Coin commemorates the many faces of the Rhino: Date of Coin issue: 2022:

2432) "Rhinoceros (or Rhino)", Republic of Djibouti: "The Big Five Coin Series": A 1,000 Francs Silver Antique Finish (AF) Spherical Kilo Coin commemorates the many faces of the Rhino: Date of Coin issue: 2022:

A 1000 Francs 1-Kilo Silver Big 5 Spherical Rhinoceros Antiqued Coin:

The Header/Banner showcases one of the many Reverse faces of the spherical coin depicting a Rhino, the Obverse of the spherical coin depicting the Emblem of Djibouti and the spherical Coin placed in its Presentation Case

This is the fourth issue in the "Big Five Coin Series", and feature A Crash of Rhinos features a Crash of Rhinos on this Antiqued Coin.

About the Republic of Djibouti:

The Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the South, Ethiopia to the Southwest, Eritrea in the North, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the East. The country has an area of 23,200 sq. kms (8,958 sq miles).

In antiquity, the territory, together with Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somaliland, was part of the "Land of Punt". 

Nearby Zeila, now in Somaliland, was the seat of the medieval Adal and Ifat Sultanates. 

In the late 19th century, the colony of French Somaliland was established following treaties signed by the ruling Dir Somali sultans with the French, and its railroad to Dire Dawa (and later Addis Ababa) allowed it to quickly supersede Zeila as the port for southern Ethiopia and the Ogaden.

 It was renamed the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas in 1967

A decade later, the Djiboutian people voted for independence.

 This officially marked the establishment of the Republic of Djibouti, named after its capital city.

 The new state joined the United Nations.

In the early 1990s, tensions over government representation led to armed conflict, which ended in a power-sharing agreement in 2000 between the ruling party and the opposition.

Djibouti is a multi-ethnic nation with a population of over 920,000 (the smallest in mainland Africa)

French and Arabic are the country's two official languages, Afar and Somali are national languages. 

The Somalis and Afar make up the two largest ethnic groups, with the former comprising the majority of the population. Both speak a language of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages.

Djibouti is near some of the world's busiest shipping lanes, controlling access to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

About the Rhinoceros:

A Rhinoceros (commonly abbreviated to "Rhino"), is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species of the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea.) Two of the extant species are native to Africa, and three to South and Southeast Asia.

Rhinoceroses are some of the largest remaining megafauna - all weigh at least one tonne in adulthood. 

They have a herbivorous diet, small brains (400–600 g) for mammals of their size, one or two horns, and a thick (1.5–5 cm), protective skin formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice structure. 

They generally eat leafy material, although their ability to ferment food in their hindgut allows them to subsist on more fibrous plant matter when necessary. Unlike other perissodactyls, the two African species of rhinoceros lack teeth at the front of their mouths; they rely instead on their lips to pluck food.

According to conservation group "Save the Rhino", this iconic African beast is near extinction

The group has estimated that fewer than 29,000 rhinos exist in the wild, down from around 500,000 across Africa and Asia at the beginning of the 20th century - Poaching and loss of habitat are the main causes.

Rhinoceros are killed by poachers for their horns, which are bought and sold on the black market for high prices, leading to most living rhinoceros species being considered endangered. The contemporary market for rhino horn is overwhelmingly driven by China and Vietnam, where it is bought by wealthy consumers to use in traditional Chinese medicine, among other uses.

A market also exists for rhino horn dagger handles in Yemen, which was the major source of demand for rhino horn in the 1970s and 1980s.

This hulking, thick-skinned pachyderm from the savannahs of Africa has been seen on film and television—who could forget the 1974 comedy Rhinoceros staring Gene Wilder where everyone around him slowly turns into a rhino.

The Kilo Silver Coin:

Without a doubt, the Rhinoceros is one of the world’s most recognizable animals. This hulking, thick-skinned pachyderm from the savannahs of Africa appears on this spherical legal tender coin in a solid kilogram of highly pure silver.

Created Through State-Of-The-Art Process:

To create this interesting piece, a State-Of-The-Art six-piece die setup and special bands were used to strike each side multiple times with equal pressure. Once the coins were struck, they were treated with a unique antiqued finish that gives an extra layer to the coin so that one can hold it in one's hands without risk of damaging it.

Once the coins are struck, they were put through extra steps to give them a unique antiqued finish.

Typically, a hand-applied process that requires skill, antiquing gives extra depth to the coin’s design. It also means that no two coins are exactly alike.

Released on behalf of the Republic of Djibouti,  this 1,000 Francs legal-tender coin showcases the world’s second-largest land animal in a different light—several different lights in fact—with many different detailed depictions that span 360 degrees around the coin. 

The variety of images circling around the coin show a close-up image of a big bull rhino, a crash of Rhinos galloping across the savannah, a small group of Rhinos cooling off in a water hole, and a pair of rhinos standing guard as their calves venture out from beneath the shade of an acacia tree.

On the Reverse of the 1,000 Francs Spherical, Silver Antique Finish (AF) Coin in the centre is inscriber - BIG 5", behind which is a shield. Towards the upper periphery is inscribed the year of issue - "2022".

On the centre are seen mirror images of the Map of Djibouti.

On the sides of the spherical Coin are featured the many faces of the Rhino.

On the Obverse of the 1,000 Francs Spherical, Silver Antique Finish (AF) Coin is featured the Coat of Arms/National Emblem of Djibuti.

Inscribed on the upper centre core is the name of the country - "REPUBLIQUE DE DJIBOUTI".

On the lower centre core is inscribed "Ag.999. 100 FRANCS. 1 Kg".

The National Emblem of Djibouti was introduced after attaining independence from France on 27.06.1977. 

 It is bordered on the sides with laurel branches. 

Within this perimeter there is a vertical spear, in front of which is a shield. 

Underneath the shield, two hands rise away from the spear, both of which carry a large machete each. 

These two hands symbolize the main two ethnic groups of the nation: the Afar and the Issa. 

The spear is topped by a red star. The star symbolizes the unity between the Issa and the Afar peoples. 


The specification of 1,000 Francs Silver Kilo Coin are:

Country of issue: Republic of Djibouti ; Date/Year: 2022; Coin Series Theme: "The Big Five"; Coin Theme: "Rhinoceros or Rhino"; Denomination/Face Value: 1000.00 Francs;  Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Gold (Au); Weight: 1.00 Kilogram or 1,000 grams; Diameter/Size: 56.00 mm;  Coin Quality: Antique Finish (AF); Mintage: 199 pieces; Highlights: Spherical Minting, Extraordinarily complex minting technique, 360-degree designs stuck with a State-Of-The-Art process; Legal Tender: Yes, in Djibouti.

 Packaging: Each Silver Antique Finish Coin is presented in a luxury acrylic Display Case/contemporary latex Presentation Case that shows all sides of the spherical coin and the many faces of The Endangered Rhinoceros that span 360 degrees around the coin, and is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA)

The Certificate of Authenticity (COA)












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10 comments:

  1. Santosh Khanna has commented:
    "A VERY interesting post. Thanks for sharing."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ashok Borate has commented:
    "Very interesting post."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rajan Trikha has commented:
    "Very informative & interesting".

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very interesting information. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rsanker Sharma has commented:
    "Very nice and informative."

    ReplyDelete