The South African Mint produces a series of "Natura" coins, starting in 1994, each of the four different sized coins bears a different attractive design based on the theme for that year. The first five years formed a series within the Natura series, known as the "Big Five". From 1999, there was a new series "Monarchs of Africa".
Fine Gold The gold coins in the Natura series are struck in 24 carat gold, actually .9999, and are South Africa's first fine gold coins.
Description We can probably do no better than to quote the information on the certificate which accopanies the set:-
2005 Natura - Giants of Africa
The Hippopotamus
Hippos are gregarious animals, associating in herds of up to 40 individuals, consisting of an adult bull, a number of cows and their young. Young bulls are evicted from the herd upon reaching sexual maturity. Adult bulls are extremely territorial and one of the known ways used for demarcation of their territories is their characteristic way of defaecting. They spray the faeces over a shrub or rock by the rapid flicking of their short tail.
River and lakes, not necessarily very deep, with pools of slow moving water and banks with good quality grazing, are the ideal conditions for hippopotamuses.
Territorial fights amongst hippos are vicious and very often fatal. Fights can go on for hours; each of the contenders trying to inflict deep fashes on their opponent with their razor sharp and enormous incisors. There are very few adult hippo bulls without scars. Lone bulls find refuge in their own pools from where they launch their attacks on a herd bull, in an attempt to take over his harem.
During the day they stay in their pools or on sand banks. At night they leave the water to search for feeding grounds, normally using the same route. Hippos are extremely aggressive and unpredictable animals, very often charging other animals, capsizing boats and even killing people. Hippos can weigh up to 1500kg and their life-span averages 50 years.
Technical Specifications The following tables summarise the specifications of all the sizes.
Complete Boxed Natura Gold Proof Sets
| Date | Description | Mintage |
|---|---|---|
|
2005
|
Hippopotamus | 200 |
Key to Table Mintage: Most recent figures quoted in Krause.
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2005 Natura Set in Presentation Box
Natura Proof Sets
South Africa Index
Reverse of 2005 Proof One Ounce Natura Gold Coin
Reverse of 2005 Proof Half Ounce Natura Gold Coin
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