African Leopard issued for Ghana is Scottsdale Mints latest wildlife-themed silver bullion coin
Scottsdale Mint continue to keep us guessing as to the next of their well regarded limited mintage bullion coins and there’s another jump in theme and issuer for their latest offering. Producers of a selection of such one-ounce silver bullion coins as the Cayman Islands Marlin and the Congo Silverback Gorilla, the Republic of Ghana African Leopard is a perfect continuation of the range.
Available only as an ounce of fine 0.999 silver, the coin reverse depicts a stalking, aggressive leopard that’s getting ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey. A good piece of art, it fills the coin face completely. There’s no border on this face, the inscription ‘AFRICAN LEOPARD’ sits in the artwork itself, but does so in a way that doesn’t detract from any of the major elements. The coin composition is also inscribed on this face, but quite unobtrusively. The obverse has a border that holds the rest of the required text (issuer, date, denomination), and this surrounds an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. This whole face has gone away from the smooth finish and has a very cool pattern of leopard spots struck into it. Very unusual and clever, we like this immensely as it livens up the usually boring obverse and fits the theme of the coin to perfection.
Like most of Scottsdale Mint’s limited run silver bullion coins like this, the mintage is capped at 50,000 pieces. Individual coins will ship encapsulated, with packs of five coins coming supplied in sleeves. Premiums are as you’d expect for a bullion coin, just a little higher than the cheapest, but still great value. The coins should start to show up at US-based dealers from next Monday, maybe a few days earlier from Europe, we’re not sure yet. The plethora of choice in this market continues to grow, something we can’t help but applaud.
2017 AFRICAN LEOPARD SILVER BULLION COIN
MINTS DESCRIPTION
Scottsdale Mint is pleased to announce the release of the 1 oz Republic of Ghana African Leopard Silver Coin BU (2017). The coin features a sleek African Leopard, perched on a rock, disguised by the tall surrounding grass, only moments from pouncing on its prey. This stunning design is complemented by the one-of-a-kind leopard skin pattern found on the obverse of the coin embedded behind the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. The complete mintage of the 1 oz Republic of Ghana African Leopard Silver Coin BU (2017) is limited to only 50,000 pieces.
The coin, manufactured and distributed by Scottsdale Mint and legal tender in the Republic of Ghana, is struck in .999+ silver, weighing 1 troy ounce each and will ship to you encapsulated on packaging sleeves of five (5) coins. This coin is stunning and a must have for retail investors and collectors alike!
SPECIFICATION
| NAME | 2017 AFRICAN LEOPARD |
| DENOMINATION | 100 Cedis (Republic of Ghana) |
| COMPOSITION | 0.999 silver |
| WEIGHT | 31.1 grams |
| DIAMETER | 38.61 mm |
| FINISH | Brilliant uncirculated |
| MODIFICATIONS | None |
| MINTAGE | 50,000 |
| BOX / COA | No / No |
Is it optional for the producer to have either the Queens head or the Ghana coat of arms? I’ve now seen coins with one or the other.
I prefer the coat of arms just because there are a vast number of coins with the Queens head anyway.
Although they did a fine job doing something different with the background. They achieved another fantastic look surrounding the Queens head on the Caymans Marlin, too.
Scottsdale are going from strength to strength lately with their thoughtfully detailed Bu ranges, well done to them. They seem to have a great design team.
Interesting development on these – the original 100 Cedis version seems to have been a mistake.
This comes to a face value of just under USD$23, more than the value of the silver content.
Scottsdale are re-issuing the 50,000 mintage exactly the same coin but with a revised 5 Cedis face value.
But obviously because some of the original 100 Cedis minted versions are already out there, they are leaving a limited 5,000 mintage of these to exist.
In the world of bullion coins 5,000 is very rare, generally not seen since the early Somalia elephants or Rwanda wildlifes. So there are now 2 versions of this coin, which i think, from a collectors point of view is a point of great interest.
Expect to see sellers withdrawing the originals they have with current prices in the low 20’s, once word gets out. Until then, there is this small window of opportunity to still get hold of the 100 Cedis version for regular bullion price.
Get cracking, people!