SA to get a new R5 coin – but can it be sold on for more money? [photos]

With the SA Reserve Bank reaching its 100-year anniversary in 2021, it’s only right that we do something significant for this iconic milestone. That’s why the South African Mint has decided to release a commemorative new R5 coin.

Can the new R5 coin be sold on for more than its worth?

The new item of currency will come into circulation from tomorrow, on Wednesday 30 June. Its value will not be worth more than R5, and will circulate as normal alongside other versions of the coin. So the next time you’re handed a substantial amount of change, you may come across the sight of this fresh design:

SARB to celebrate 100-year anniversary this week

The obverse is pretty straightforward, simply bearing our national coat of arms, the current year, and the name of our country in different languages. However, it’s the reverse of the new R5 coin that’s undergone a pretty radical makeover.

On 30 June 2021, the SARB turns 100 years old. To celebrate, the SARB will issue a commemorative circulation R5 coin on the day. The coin illustrates a journey of currency minted by the SARB. From the iconic ‘Tickey’, to a glimpse of the future of currency and the SARB. pic.twitter.com/abORejgmJa

— SouthAfricanMint (@SAMint) June 28, 2021

Here’s what features on the new R5 coin

We get taken on a journey through some of the most iconic items of currency ever issued in South Africa. From one of the first-ever coins to do the rounds on our shores, to an R5 piece that honours Madiba himself, a total of SIX other coins feature on the artwork – and they are listed as the following items:

• – The 1923 ‘threepence’ is from the time of South Africa’s first union.
• – There’s a R1 gold coin containing the image of a proudly South African springbok, first released in 1961.
• – We have a 20 cent coin that depicts the king protea – South Africa’s national flower.
• – The smallest item of currency, a one-cent coin from 1990, features two sparrows.
• – An R5 coin from 2008, issued for Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday, also makes the grade.
• – Finally, there’s a 10 cent count from SA’s ‘fourth decimal series’. It carries the image of a Cape honey bee.