Coins of the South African rand

The rand was introduced in the then Union of South Africa on 14 February 1961, shortly before the establishment of the Republic on 31 May 1961.

The coins bore the forward-facing portrait of Jan van Riebeeck on the obverse.

The previous South African farthing coin (1⁄4d) and half-a-crown (2+1⁄2s) were not continued in decimal currency.

Initially the coinage bore the portrait of Van Riebeeck, and later the State Presidents of South Africa (except F.W.

Initially the coins bore the coat of arms and the name of the country in English and Afrikaans from 1990 to 1995.

[6] The 5c coins are still legal tender,[7] but have more or less disappeared from circulation, and most transactions are rounded to the nearest 10c.

A bi-metallic R5 coin with added security features, including a grooved edge and micro-lettering on the reverse, was introduced in 2004.

Commemorative 5 rand coins were circulated in 2008 for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday, in 2011 to commemorate 90 Years of the South African Reserve Bank, and in 2015 for the 200th anniversary of the Griqua coinage, the first coinage issued in South Africa.

The Griqua Town coin has a bird and has the years 1815 and 2015 on the reverse, and the South African coat of arms and the acronym SARB on the obverse.