Rwanda Wildlife

Like other animal-inspired bullion and proof coin programs, the Rwandan Wildlife Series of silver coins celebrate the beauty of the animal kingdom. This particular series focuses on the native species of the African continent. The name of the series is slightly misleading as not all of these animals are native to Rwandan. Instead, each of the creatures featured in the Rwandan Wildlife Series is native to the African continent as a whole, with some of them residing within the borders of Rwandan.

The program was launched in 2008 by BH Mayer at the Kunstprageanstalt GmbH mint in Munich, Germany. The coins have similar features from one year to the next in the release schedule, while the obverse side of the coin design is the same from one year to the next. In keeping with the ever-changing designs of the Rwandan Wildlife Series coins, a new animal is featured on the reverse each year. The series launched in 2008 with a Rwandan Gorilla Coin. The common image found on the reverse of all Rwandan Wildlife Series coins is the rugged outline of the African continent featured on the reverse, along with the engravings of the year of issue, the weight, metal content, and purity of the product, and the phrase “African Ounce.”

For the 2008 Rwandan Gorilla Coin, a male Silverback gorilla, female, and young gorilla are featured in the lower left sitting amongst the tall grass of a natural setting. All subsequent coins followed this similar design, and included releases such as those listed below:

• 2009 Rwandan Elephant: This issue featured a herd of elephants trekking across the savanna. Included in the image are a bull male elephant, a cow, and a calf
• 2010 Rwandan Lion: The African lion is perhaps the second most popular creature native to the continent behind the elephant. On this coin, a pride of lions is featured with a male lion standing tall as the females lay down to rest with cubs by their side
• 2011 Rwandan Zebra: On the obverse of this coin, an adult Zebra and a young Zebra are featured walking amongst the tall grass in search of food to graze upon
• 2012 Rwandan Rhino: The rhino might be the most endangered species from the continent, making it an appropriate selection for the Rwandan Wildlife Series. On the reverse of this coin, a female adult rhino is featured alongside her young calf
• 2013 Rwandan African Cheetah: Cats are notoriously attentive, and the cheetah coin features a design that depicts two cheetahs sitting in an alert position as they watch for danger on the horizon
• 2014 Rwandan Impala: The impala is a member of the antelope family and is found throughout the African continent. On the 2014 coin, a male and female impala are featured with their distinctive horns. Impala is the local Zulu term used for the antelope or gazelle, one of the fastest land mammals on the African continent
• 2015 Rwandan Buffalo: On the obverse side of each coin is the image of a female African buffalo, with its calf standing nearby. Also included on this side is an outline of the African continent, with a rugged finish
• 2016 Rwandan Meerkat: Meerkats are small creatures that inhabit the desert regions of southern Africa, across the nations of Botswana, Namibia, Angola, and South Africa. The meerkat is part of the mongoose family, and lives in clans or families of 20 animals on average, with some including as many as 50 in one family
• 2017 Rwandan Hippo: Hippos are the third-largest land mammals in the world and the heaviest in their species, with males weighing upwards of 3,300 lbs when fully grown. In the lower-left field of this coin’s obverse side you’ll notice a mother hippo and its calf
• 2018 Rwandan Giraffe: The giraffe is the tallest living terrestrial animal in the world today and is the largest ruminant. The species includes only the giraffe in its genus, with animals in the wild found only on the African continent. The obverse design includes the image of a mother and her calf walking across the open savanna
• 2019 Rwandan Shoebill: On the reverse side of these coins is the image of two shoebill birds, also known as whaleheads. A similar species to the stork, the shoebill adults have grey coloration in their feathers, while juveniles typically have more brown to their feathers.
• 2020 Rwandan Bushbaby
• 2021 Rwandan Okapi
• 2022 Rwandan Pelican

All Rwandan Wildlife Series Silver Coins feature one ounce of .999 pure silver. The face value of the coins is listed in Rwandan Francs at a set value of 50 RWF. The obverse side of each coin bears the coat of arms for Rwandan, and features inscriptions in the native tongue of a local tribe that has resided in Rwandan for centuries.

Rwandan Wildlife Series coins are available each year in extremely limited mintages. The BH Mayer mint facility kept original mintage low to protect the value of the products. As the popularity of the coin has gone up in recent years, demand has often outpaced the supply of these coins, making them even more valuable to both investors and collectors. Each year the Rwandan Wildlife Series coins are struck in bullion and proof versions. The bullion coins are often easier to find and minted in the 5,000 to 10,000 range.  Proof coins are typically limited to a total mintage of around 1,000 coins for global distribution.  There are also Privy coins minted each year.

Silver Bullion Mintage

Design

Obverse: As Rwandan legal tender, the obverse displays a large image of the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Rwanda centered, with inscriptions encircling the rim, including “BANKI NKURU Y’U RWANDA" and "AMAFARANGA MIRONGO ITANU.” The face value of 50 Francs is inscribed below the coat of arms and in between the words "AMAFARANGA" and "MIRONGO ITANU.”.

Reverse: For the series layout, the reverse displays a large, topographical map of the African continent. The map fills half of the field, and even spills into the narrow band around the rim. The lower area features a an image of the animal usually with its offspring. Inscriptions encircling the rim include, “AFRICAN OUNCE", the year, and "1oz FINE SILVER 999.”