Centurion, South Africa, 29 May 2026: The South African Mint, a wholly owned subsidiary of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), proudly announces the launch of its first-ever high-relief coin range, The African Range.
A celebration of world-class craftsmanship, The African Range redefines the boundaries of numismatics, transforming the coin from a traditional medium into a sculptural work of enduring cultural and artistic significance.
“This is one of the most exciting products we have introduced in recent decades,” says Richard Stone, Product Development Manager at the South African Mint. “Our ambition was to create a flagship collection that reflects Africa’s natural beauty, craftsmanship, and artistic excellence on a global stage.”
Unlike conventional coin design processes, which typically begin with a flat drawing before progressing through modelling, scanning, and engraving, The African Range represents a bold departure. These designs were modelled after existing sculptures by internationally acclaimed South African artist Dylan Lewis, renowned for his evocative wildlife works exhibited in cities such as London, Paris, and New York.
Translating these sculptures into high-relief coin form demanded months of meticulous refinement. Every angle and detail was carefully considered to determine the ideal composition before modeling and engraving could begin. “It was a profound responsibility to reinterpret an existing sculpture into a new medium,” Stone explains, underscoring the technical and artistic complexity of the process.
The debut release in The African Range focuses on the cheetah – an icon of speed, precision, and instinct. The collection unfolds as a five-coin narrative, capturing the stages of the hunt: from watchful surveying and stealthy stalking to the explosive chase, decisive capture, and final repose.
The reverse design portrays the cheetah in a poised, surveying stance, rendered in striking high relief to achieve exceptional depth, detail, and sculptural presence. The obverse features a refined, cropped profile of the animal, creating a dynamic and powerful visual construct across the series.
This limited-edition collection includes proof coins in a range of sizes: 1 kg, 5 oz, 2 oz, 1 oz, and ¼ oz in 24-carat gold, alongside 1 kg, 5 oz and 2 oz silver offering. Remarkably, the precision and detail of the high-relief design are preserved consistently across all sizes, from the smallest ¼ oz coin to the expansive 1 kg format.
A standout feature of the collection is the exclusive sculpture set, which pairs the 1 oz high-relief privy mark gold coin with a miniature sculpture of the original Dylan Lewis sculpture upon which the designs were modelled. This unique combination seamlessly merges fine art and numismatics into a single, highly collectible masterpiece.
“This is a project of enduring value,” concludes Stone. “It is a story-driven series that invites collectors to embark on a journey unfolding over five years and potentially beyond. It celebrates African wildlife and artistic excellence and offers a truly exceptional South African product to collectors worldwide.”
For more information on The African Range and other South African Mint products, visit www.samint.co.za or contact the retail store on collectables@samint.co.za or +27 (0)12 677 2460/2482.
Mohd Hassan has extensive experience in news gathering, editing, and writing for the newswire industry, Contact – Info@impactnews-wire.com
Lakin Ogunbanwo (Nigeria)
Most Famous Photo: His portrait series exploring Nigerian masculinity and identity, often featuring subjects in traditional hats or veiled faces.
Short Bio: A Nigerian photographer born in 1987, Lakin Ogunbanwo is known for his bold and striking portraits, particularly those exploring Nigerian sartorial culture and masculinity. His work often uses strong colors, dramatic lighting, and a focus on gesture and form to create evocative and visually captivating images.
CloudFrenzy
An retired elderly couple visit London..
They get picked up from the airport in a london black cab and head off into the city for some adventure.
The cab driver say \”where you from guvnor?
Husband. \”we\’re from South Africa\”..
The wife is a little hard of hearing asks her husband.
\”What did he say?\”
The husband turns to his wife and says louder \”the cab driver asked us where we were from, I told him South Africa!\”
The cabbie continues \”I was in the merchant navy years back… I got to drop anchor down your way, a few times in Johannesburg\”
The husband replies \”oh wow that\’s where we\’re from originally, now we\’re in Cape Town.\”
The wife asks the husband again \”what did he say?\”.
The husband again relays the unheard conversation \”the cab driver says he spent some time in the navy and went down to joberg\”.
The wife smiles and nods.
Coffee
So I\’m real good friends with this guy named Juan Ted. Now, Juan is a pretty amazing guy. He can steal ANYTHING he wants to. Literally anything. It could be the shirt off your back, the wallet in your pocket, or I\’m even sure he\’d find a way to steal your house (And your spouse too). So anyway, one day Juan and I are sitting around watching TV, and they announced that the hope diamond will not be on display anymore and is now getting moved to an undisclosed location. So as we hear this, Juan says \”I\’m gonna steal it\”. Now I know how good Juan is at this kind of stuff, so I just tell him good luck and he goes on his way. Eventually he narrows his search down to a small cave in South Africa. When Juan gets there, he doesn\’t see any guards or anything outside the cave, so he just walks in assuming he was wrong about where the diamond was. He wanders around for a while until he sees a long lit hallway with the hope diamond at the end of it. Confident in his abilities, he strolls over to the diamond and picks it up before realizing its a trap! Suddenly, red lights flashed, armed men came running out, sirens went off. You could hear one of the men say under his breath \”We finally caught Juan Ted.\” But Juan, being the best thief in the world, said \”Not quite. On the count of three, I will disappear.\” As the men looked around confused, Juan began to count. \”Uno. Dos.\” And he disappeared without a tres.