1 oz, South Africa, 2021, Gold, Big Five I - Buffalo

The Big Five coin series by the South African Mint, celebrates Africa’s unique natural heritage by embodying the strength and beauty of the Big Five animals on legal tender coins. The “Big Five” term refers to the five most dangerous animals in Africa: the Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Rhino, and Buffalo.

The African Cape Buffalo is the last of the animals featured on this popular Big 5 coin series since its debut in 2019. The South African Mint celebrates Africa’s precious wildlife by embodying the strength and beauty of the Big Five in this series of legal tender coins.

African Buffalo are sociable animals with herds of up to several hundred individuals often observed. These herds might splinter into smaller units in times of drought.

Primarily preyed upon by lions, when a herd member is attacked, other Buffalos will rush to its defense. Together a number of buffalo are more than capable to ward off an attack by an entire pride of lions. A wounded buffalo bull is regarded as most dangerous by hunters, which is one of the main reasons why this animal is included into the big five. This characteristic is the origin of many hunting adventures, myths and legends.

The obverse features a breath-taking design of the Cape buffalo, which fills up much of the surface area of the coin. The words ‘South Africa’, ‘Big 5 2021’ appear below the image, with the national coat-of-arms in the centre signifying its legal tender status.

Coin Specifications:

The coin is issued in Proof grade only