Thematic sets from the 1920s to date

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1947.

Fiji had issued a national coinage in 1934, but it did not introduce a threepence until 1947.

The native hut design was by James Berry.  Percy Metcalfe designed the outrigger on the shilling and the turtle on the sixpence.

See: Predecimal coinage of Fiji.




½d.  Value.         
1d.   Value.          
3d.   Native dwelling.   
6d.   Turtle.           
1s.   Outrigger.       
2s.   Coat of arms.

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1948.

Madagascar released a three coin set (1, 2 and 5 francs), featuring the heads of three zebu. The design was by Lucien Bazor.

See also:

Beasts of French Africa

Coinage of Madagascar

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1950.

Guatemala completed a new thematic design series in 1950.




1  centavo.    Bartolome de las Casas, priest.
5  centavos.  Silk cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra).
10 centavos.  Quirigua Monolith.
25 centavos.  Woman in native dress.

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1950.

Somalia was still an Italian protectorate at this time. It released a set of five coins with two different thematic designs: an elephant and a lioness.







1   centesimo.  Elephant.
5   centesimi.   Elephant.
10 centesimi.   Elephant.
50 centesimi.   Lioness.
1   somalo.       Lioness.

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1955.

Still under British rule, Cyprus released an attractive set whose themes drew on its classical past.

See also:

1] Cyprus: alternative designs.

2] Cyprus: final coinage under British rule.




3     mils.  Stylised flying-fish.
5     mils.  Bronze age man carrying copper bar.
25   mils.  Head of bull.
50   mils.  Fern leaves.
100 mils.  Merchant ship, circa 6th century B.C.

Designer: William Gardner.

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1955.

Italy had released a full new set of designs by 1955, up to 100 lire. The strange mixture of themes was attractive but not entirely successful as a set.

The designs on the higher denominations lasted into the early to mid-1990s, while the lower denominations dropped out because of inflation.


See also: Italy's final pre-euro coinage.

Coin sizes in the images are not to scale.




1     lira.  Scales.                 Cornucopia.
2     lire.  Honey bee.          Olive branch.
5     lire.  Ship's rudder.      Dolphin.
10   lire.  Tiller.                    Ears of wheat.     
50   lire.  Head of Italia.      Vulcan at anvil.
100 lire.  Head of Italia.      Goddess Ceres with sprig.

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1955.

Rhodesia and Nyasaland, a federation that comprised Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (now Malawi) released a coinage set in 1955.

See also: Southern Rhodesia / Rhodesia and Nyasaland / Rhodesia.




½d.  Stylised giraffes.         D: Bernard Sindall.
1d.   Stylised elephants.      D: Bernard Sindall.
3d.   Flame lily.                  D: Paul Vincze.
6d.   Leopard.                     D: Paul Vincze.
1s.   Sable antelope.           D: Paul Vincze.
2s.   African fish eagle.       D: Humphrey Paget.
2/6.  Coat of arms.             D: Humphrey Paget.

D = Designer.

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1956.

Guernsey, a British crown dependency, issued three new designs for its coins.







4 doubles.       Guernsey lily.
8 doubles.       Three flowers of the Guernsey lily.
Three pence.   Guernsey cow.

Designer: Paul Vincze.

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1958.

Norway released a new circulation coin series. The reverse of each of the seven denominations, from 1 øre to 1 krone, depicted an animal (or insect). This was the first time since the Irish barnyard set of 1928 that the reverses of a circulation coinage set were entirely devoted to wildlife designs.

See: Norwegian wildlife series, 1958 to 1973.

NOTE: The coin sizes in the image are not to scale.




1  öre.      Red squirrel.
2  öre.      Black grouse.
5  öre.      Elk.
10 öre.     Honey bee.
25 öre.     Siberian tit.
50 öre.     Elkhound.
1  krone.  Fjord horse.

Designer: Per Palle Storm.

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1959.

Nigeria released its first national coinage, shortly before independence in 1960.

Interestingly, the Seal of Solomon (similar to the Star of David) separates the text in the legend.

See: Nigeria: predecimal coinage.


The coin sizes in this image are not to scale.




½d. Value.
1d.  Value.
3d.  Cotton plant.        D: Paul Vincze.
6d.  Cocoa beans.       D: Humphrey Paget.
1s.   Palm branches.    D: Paul Vincze.
2s.   Peanut plant.       D: Humphrey Paget.

D = Designer.

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1961.

Mali released a three coin set. The obverse designs featured wildlife.

See: Coinage of Mali.




5   francs.  Hippopotamus.
10 francs.  Horse.
25 francs.  Lion.

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1961.

South Africa became a republic and left the Commonwealth. It also decimalised its currency and issued a new coinage. The new obverse showed Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town. The reverse design of the 1 cent showed a typical Voortrekker wagon, but all the other reverse designs were adapted from the predecimal coinage. The coins were large and heavy. They were replaced by a lighter series in 1965.

See: First Coinage of the Republic of South Africa.




½c.  Sparrows.                    D: George Kruger-Gray.
1c.    Voortrekker wagon.      D: Hilda Mason.
2½c. Protea cynaroides.        D: George Kruger-Gray.
5c.    Protea cynaroides.        D: George Kruger-Gray.
10c.  Allegory of Hope.          D: George Kruger-Gray.
20c.  Coat of arms.                D: George Kruger-Gray.
50c.  Springbok.                    D: Coert Steynberg.

Common obverse: Jan van Riebeeck.    D: Willie Myburg.

D = Designer.

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1963.

Cyprus became independent from Britain in 1960 and released a new design series in 1963.

See also: Republic of Cyprus: pre-euro coinage.




1     mil.     Value within wreath.
5     mils.   Merchant ship, circa 6th century B.C.  Bronze.
25   mils.   Cedar of Lebanon.
50   mils.   Bunch of grapes.
100 mils.   Cyprus mouflon.

Designer: William Gardner.

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1964.

Comoros issued a new design series in 1964.

 The reverse design of the 10 and 20 francs inlcuded several elements:

a coelacanth fish, a jet plane, dhows, palm trees, coconuts, and triton shells.

See also: Comoros.

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1964.

Malawi, formerly known as Nyasaland, became independent and issued its first national coinage.

Curiously, it did not include a threepence coin.

A penny, showing only the year and denomination, was added in 1967.

See also: Malawi.




6d.  Domestic cock.
1s.  Corn cob.
2s.  Elephants.
2/6. Coat of arms.

Common obverse: President Hastings Banda.

Designer: Paul Vincze.