Wildlife of the Seychelles

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NEW REGIME OF 1977.



Flag of the Seychelles, 1977 to 1996.

In June 1977 President Mancham attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in London. While he was away, Prime Minister France-Albert René organised a coup in the Seychelles and deposed Mancham. René had the support of Tanzanian-trained revolutionaries and Tanzanian-supplied weapons. Mancham lived in exile in London until April 1992. The new regime adopted a new national flag.

See also:  Seychelles: trial coins of 1977 that featured ousted President Mancham.

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AMENDED DESIGN SERIES OF 1977.

Seychelles issued an amended design series in 1977 to reflect the new regime. The coat of arms replaced President Mancham's portrait on the obverse of the coins. The year was moved from the reverse to the obverse.

The circulation coins of 1976 showed the word INDEPENDENCE on the reverse. They were regarded as a one-year circulating commemorative series, so the word INDEPENDENCE was therefore removed from the reverses in 1977. It was replaced with FAO slogans on the 5 and 10 cents and 10 rupees coins. F.A.O. stands for Food and Agricultural Organization (a United Nations body).

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Obverse of the aluminium 1 cent coin of 1977.

The coins of 1977 retained the same weight, size, shape and metal content as in 1976.

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Reverse of the 1 cent coin of 1977.

The fish design was retained.

The word INDEPENDENCE was removed.

The blank space that it left is clearly seen.

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Obverse of the aluminium 5 cents coin of 1977.

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Reverse of the 5 cents coin of 1977.

The word INDEPENDENCE was replaced by the slogan PRODUCE MORE FOOD.

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Obverse of the 10 cents coin of 1977.

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Reverse of the 10 cents coin of 1977.

The word INDEPENDENCE was replaced by the slogan PRODUCE MORE FOOD.

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The reverse of the 25 cents coin of 1977.

The word INDEPENDENCE was removed from the reverse.

The gap that it left is quite obvious.

The coat of arms appeared on the obverse (not shown).

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The 50 cents coin of 1977.

The word INDEPENDENCE was removed from the reverse.

The gap that it left is quite obvious.

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The 1 rupee coin of 1977.

The word INDEPENDENCE was removed from the reverse.

The gap that it left is quite obvious.

The coat of arms appeared on the obverse (not shown).

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The 5 rupees coin of 1977.

The word INDEPENDENCE was removed from the reverse.

The gap that it left is quite obvious.

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The reverse of the 10 rupees coin of 1977.

The word INDEPENDENCE was replaced by the slogan SEA RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.

The coat of arms appeared on the obverse (not shown).

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TRANSITIONING TO A NEW COIN SERIES.

Apart from the change of obverse design from a presidential portrait to the coat of arms, there were only minor textual differences between the coin series of 1976 and 1977. They contained the same range of denominations, which were of the same size, shape, weight and metal content.

No new coins or coin types were issued until 1981. The coin series of 1976 and 1977 comprised eight denominations and included some large and heavy coins. The 1981/1982 series lost two of the denominations, namely the 50 cents coin and the 10 rupees coin. Many series that include a 25 cents coin deliberately omit a 50 cents coin, since the population often prefers using two 25 cents coins to a single 50 cents coin. Meanwhile the 10 rupees coin was considered an unnecessarily high denomination and was be dropped after 1977.

The coins of 1976 and 1977 included three polygonal shapes: a scalloped 5 cents coin, a 12-sided 10 cents coin, and a 7-sided 5 rupees coin. The coins of the 1980s were all be round, although the new 5 rupees coin had a polygonal inner rim.

Many countries do not consider aluminium to be a suitable metal for their coinage, and the aluminium coins of the 1970s were replaced by brass coins in the 1980s. The relatively heavy 1 rupee and 5 rupees coins were significantly reduced in weight, and the 1 rupee coin was also significantly reduced in size. This was in keeping with the ongoing worldwide trend towards smaller and lighter coins.

As regards thematic design continuity, the reverse designs of the 25 cents and 1 rupee were retained in a slightly amended form in the 1980s. The theme of the palm tree on the 5 rupees coins was retained, but a new design replaced the old one. Surprisingly, the new series did not include a turtle or tortoise design. However, it included two new marine life designs, emphasising the nation's island nature, and the overall wildlife theme of the nation's coins was retained.

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NEW COIN SERIES OF THE 1980s.

A new coin series was issued in the 1980s.

This replaced the larger and heavier coinage of the 1970s.


The first two coins were issued in 1981.

These were the round and brass 5 and 10 cents coins.

They were produced by the Royal Mint (UK).


These were FAO-themed coins.

The coat of arms on the obverse was modelled by Robert Elderton.

Robert Elderton also modelled and designed the reverses.

The FAO designs were repurposed and made standard in 1982.