Sierra Leone: First silver bullion coin released featuring the lion, king of the African savanna

The Central Bank of Sierra Leone has released its first-ever silver bullion-related one-ounce coins whose design cleverly affirms the country’s name. Featuring a lion as the motif for the first silver bullion coin from Sierra Leone seems particularly appropriate since the name Sierra Leone translates to “Lion Mountains” or “Mountains of Lions.” 

The coins are produced by the Pobjoy Mint at their facilities in Surrey, England, on behalf of the Central Bank of Sierra Leone using the U.S. dollar denomination by special agreement. The reverse side features a frosted relief featuring the lion, king of the African savannah. The motif replicates the head of a lion styled as though it is an African mask with a special rim featuring an African pattern. To the right of the loin’s image, a silver bullion privy mark P is also present, which is unique to Pobjoy Mint reverse frosted bullion coins. Below the primary design is the denomination shown as 1 DOLLAR. The obverse side includes a depiction of the national coat of arms adopted in 1960. The crest shows a lion beneath a zigzag border, representing the Lion Mountains, after which the country was named. It also shows three torches which are meant to symbolise education and progress. At the base are wavy bars depicting the sea and Sierra Leone’s coast on the Atlantic Ocean. The green represents agricultural and natural resources, the blue represents the Harbour of Freetown, and the white represents unity and justice. The supporters are a lion shown on both sides of the crest, and the motto is UNITY-FREEDOM-JUSTICE, placed below the design. Above the crest is the text REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE, and the year 2022 is seen just under. 

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Mintage Limit
One dollar	.999 Silver	31.1 g	38.6 mm	Bullion	5,000

The coins are struck using a new enhanced reverse cameo finish and individually encapsulated. In order to maintain the exclusivity of this piece, no more than 5,000 of the one-ounce fine .999 silver reverse frosted bullion coins will be produced. For additional information, please visit APMEX bullion distributors.

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