A quick first look at the 2017 Somali Elephant and the 2017 African Ounce

We’ll have much better looks at both of these coins in the near future, but for now, here’s a glimpse at the designs of the popular African Ounce and Somalia Elephant silver bullion coins. Both will be one-ounce in weight, struck in 0.999 silver, and in a bullion  finish, although proof versions of both will be available.

The Rwandan African Ounce has been going since 2008, often with mintages much lower than usual (down as low as 5,000 for the early coins). The design on these has been fixed for some time for the most part, but the bottom-left of each years reverse depicts a different animal famous on the continent. This year it’s the Hippopotamus. They do look good and this coin is no exception. Available mid-October, Silbertresor, Aurinum and WorldCoinsBerlin have them on preorder, although expect availability to spread rapidly. Aurinum also have the proof version.

The Somalia Elephant has been a perennial favourite in recent years although the series has been going since 2004. There are no pictures of the silver bullion coin yet, just some images from coloured versions. This takes the form of a Day & Night twin set, although the image below is from the much rarer kilo night version that APMEX have for sale. The coin looks good, especially after some recent disappointments over rehashed designs being used with very little modification.

COIN IMAGES

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SPECIFICATION

COIN DENOMINATION COMPOSITION WEIGHT DIAMETER FINISH MINTAGE
RWANDA 50 FRANCS CFA 0.999 SILVER 31.103 g 40.0 mm BULLION  TBC
SOMALIA 100 SHILLINGS 0.999 SILVER 31.103 g 38.6 mm BULLION  UNLTD UNTIL END 2017