| Ngwee | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Country |
|
| Value |
0.01 kwacha |
| Years |
1968–1983 |
| Measurements and composition | |
| Mass |
2.1 g |
| Diameter |
17.5 mm |
| Thickness |
|
| Composition |
|
| Appearance | |
| Shape |
round |
| Alignment |
medallic |
| Edge |
plain |
| Obverse |
Kenneth Kaunda, state title, year |
| Reverse |
Aardvark (Orycteropus afer), value |
| v · d · e | |
The 1 ngwee coin is a former circulation piece of the Republic of Zambia. It was issued in two metal varieties, the first being made from 1968 to 1978, and the second being struck in 1982 and 1983. Both were distributed by the Bank of Zambia and produced at the Royal Mint of the United Kingdom. Initially carrying a legal tender face value of 0.01 Zambian kwacha, the piece continues to be valid for 0.00001 kwacha after the 2012 rebasing of Zambian currency. While it remains legal tender, the coin no longer circulates due to its low value.
Coins struck from 1968 to 1978 are composed of bronze and measure approximately 1.25 millimeters in thickness. Later examples are instead made of a much cheaper alternative, copper-plated steel, and measure a slightly larger 1.45 millimeters in thickness. Pieces of both varieties share a mass of 2.1 grams and a diameter of 17.5 millimeters, and additionally, they have medallic alignment and a plain edge, and are round in shape. The rims of both the obverse and reverse are raised and undecorated.
A right-facing bust of Kenneth Kaunda (1924–), the President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991, appears in the center of the obverse. Designed by English artist Norman Sillman (1921–2013), this likeness of Kaunda appeared for the first time on a commemorative pre-decimal 5 shilling piece in 1965. Printed above the portrait on the 1 ngwee coin, arched in a clockwise direction at the upper rim, is the state title "ZAMBIA". It is accompanied by the Gregorian date of minting, which is inscribed counterclockwise in Western Arabic numerals at the bottom of the obverse. Featured at the top center of the reverse, also designed by Sillman, is an illustration of an aardvark (Orycteropus afer). Such an animal, a well known species of insectivorous mammal, is distributed throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa, including parts of Zambia. Written horizontally on two lines below is the face value "ONE NGWEE", with the first word shown in larger print than the second. A stylized numeral "1" is additionally displayed to the left in a larger size.
A total of approximately 139,004,000 examples of the 1 ngwee coin were produced, including 69,004,000 bronze coins and 70,000,000 copper-plated steel pieces. Of the bronze coins, 68,976,000 were struck with a normal finish; the remaining 28,000 were produced as proofs. Four thousand of these proofs were made in 1968, and all were included in sets distributed by the Bank of Zambia. The remaining 24,000 were minted in 1978, and of which, 20,000 were reportedly put into sets. A small number of 1968 pieces were also included in official mint sets. Only business strikes are known to exist for the copper-plated steel coins.
| Mintages | |
|---|---|
| Year | Mintage |
| Bronze (1968–1978) | |
| 1968 | 8,000,000 |
| 1968 Proof | 4,000 |
| 1969 | 16,000,000 |
| 1972 | 21,000,000 |
| 1978 | 23,976,000 |
| 1978 Proof | 24,000 |
| Copper-plated steel (1982–1983) | |
| 1982 | 10,000,000 |
| 1983 | 60,000,000 |
References[]
- Numismatic Guaranty Corporation – Zambia Ngwee KM# 9 (1968–1978) • Zambia Ngwee KM# 9a (1982–1983)
- Numista – 1 Ngwee (1968–1978) • 1 Ngwee (1982–1983) (English) (French)
Zambian kwacha on the English Wikipedia
| Zambian kwacha | |
|---|---|
| Banknotes | Current: 2 K • 5 K • 10 K • 20 K • 50 K • 100 K Former: 50 n • 1 K • 2 K • 5 K • 10 K • 20 K • 50 K • 100 K • 500 K • 1,000 K • 5,000 K • 10,000 K • 20,000 K • 50,000 K |
| Coins | Current: 5 n • 10 n • 50 n • 1 K Former: 1 n • 2 n • 5 n • 10 n • 20 n • 25 n • 50 n • 1 K • 5 K • 10 K • 20 K • 75 K • 100 K • 200 K • 250 K • 500 K • 1,000 K • 2,000 K • 2,500 K • 4,000 K • 5,000 K • 10,000 K • 20,000 K • 25,000 K • 40,000 K • 50,000 K • 100,000 K • 500,000 K |
| Miscellaneous | Bank of Zambia • De La Rue • Kwacha • Ngwee • Rebasing • Zambian pound |