Twenty Cent (20c)
The remarkable South African flower, the Protea cynaroids was one of the first distinctive South African symbols that appeared on the tickey and sixpence coins from 1925 to 1960. With the introduction of South Africa's first decimal series (1961 - 1964) the Protea was again depicted on the 2½c and 5c coins which were designed by the die-cutter, Kruger Gray. With the second decimal coin series (1965 - 1989), an outstanding South African horticultural artist, Cynthna Letty was responsible for the artwork. The new Protea design depicted the Protea plant with three flowers in various stages on the nickel 20c coin. Die-sinker Tommy Sasseen modelled the design from the original watercolour painting which can be viewed at the South African Mint museum. In 1989 the third decimal coin series was introduced and the Protea was selected for the new bronze plated 20c coin. Die-sinker, Susan Erasmus developed the design from the first artwork. In 1996, the design underwent a slight modification to accommodate a larger "20c" numeral on the coin.
Specifications
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Description
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Diameter (mm)
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Mass (g)
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Metal
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Content
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Die-sinker
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Obverse/ Reverse
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20c Protea
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19
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3.5
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Bronze-plated Steel
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AL Sutherland
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S Erasmus
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Language rotation
2002 - English
2003 - Setswana
2004 - Sepedi/Sesotho
2005 - Afrikaana
2006 - isiXhosa
2007 - isiZuli
2008 - isiNdebele
2009 - Tshivenda
2010 - siSwati
2011 - Xitsonga