The popular Rwandan African Ounce silver bullion coin is now ten years old as the 2018 coin design is revealed. Launching in 2008 with a gorilla design, the series began with some very low numbers and has picked up steam over the few years since. A little later than usual, the 2018 coin has started to appear at some German dealers and will no doubt spread rapidly.

The design will be instantly recognisable and we’ll take a better look when actual coins become available, but there are no surprises here. An attractive series, the only changing part of the reverse face is the animal depicted at bottom left. The obverse has remained constant throughout the lifespan of the series and features the National Seal of Rwanda. The Giraffe is a good choice and there are a pair of them in attendance – an adult and a juvenile. A good-looking effort for the series, this will no doubt keep the popularity of the series high.

As usual, mintages are difficult to come by, but we’ve seen nothing to suggest that a figure in the 50-100,000 range isn’t accurate, although we will try to confirm. A proof version with an identical specification, but struck to a higher standard, is also available again. The mintage of that one is still set at 1,000 units and it sells for around the €70.00 mark. Premiums on the bullion variant are a little higher than the more ubiquitous coins on the market. but not excessively so. Available to order now, it should start to ship over the next few weeks.