Johannesburg - The SA Gold Coin Exchange and The Scoin Shop have unveiled a new set of coins featuring former president Nelson Mandela, the company said on Monday.
SA Gold Coin Exchange CEO Alan Demby said The Mandela Presidential Medallion set celebrated a milestone in South African history by depicting three events which ushered in the birth of a democratic South Africa.
“The set consists of three gold medallions commemorating the first democratic election in South Africa, Nelson Mandela's inauguration, and Mandela's presidency,” he said.
The set was presented in an intricately carved wooden box featuring a gold plated plaque and engraved with a visual of Mandela and his predecessor FW De Klerk.
Each set was accompanied by a copy of Nelson Mandela's inauguration speech and a replica of the 1994 ballot paper signed by Mandela, De Klerk, and former president Thabo Mbeki, worth R100 000.
The first medallion in the collection symbolised South Africa's first democratic general elections on April 27, 1994, which resulted in the African National Congress receiving a majority vote.
The second medallion depicted the moment when De Klerk and Mandela joined hands in unity during Mandela's inauguration.
It was also engraved with the Mandela quote: “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another...”
The third medallion featured a lateral view of the Union Buildings Ä the official seat of the South African government and a second home to Mandela for five years until he retired in 1999.
“The set symbolises the magnitude of South African history with the election of our first democratically elected president and the birth of our country's democracy,” Demby said.
“It affords fellow South Africans a piece of history and with the set having a low mintage it will be particularly sought after in years to come.”
The medallion sets officially went on sale on Monday. - Sapa