Zambian 25 ngwee coin

25 ngwee
General information
Country	Zambia
Value	0.25 kwacha
Years	1992
Measurements and composition
Mass	2.51 g
Diameter	19.93 mm
Thickness	1.25 mm
Composition	nickel-plated steel
Appearance
Shape	round
Alignment	medallic
Edge	plain
Obverse	Coat of arms of Zambia, state title, year
Reverse	Crowned hornbill (Tockus alboterminatus), value
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The 25 ngwee coin is a former circulation piece of the Republic of Zambia. It was issued in 1992 by the Bank of Zambia, along with similar pieces denominated at 50 ngwee and 1, 5, and 10 kwacha. The 25 ngwee coin and the other 1992 pieces were struck under contract at the Royal Canadian Mint. Eventually, the high inflation of the first kwacha in the 1990s resulted in the withdrawal of all Zambian coins in circulation. As a result, the 25 ngwee piece was discontinued, and a coin of the denomination was never reintroduced. When the Zambian kwacha was rebased in 2013, a 25 ngwee coin was not issued.

The piece carried a legal tender face value equivalent to 0.25 kwacha prior to the rebasing of the kwacha in 2013. While legally it remains valid currency, it no longer circulates due to its low face value. With 1 new kwacha equaling 1,000 old kwacha, the 25 ngwee coin currently has a value of only 0.00025 new kwachas.

The piece is composed of nickel-plated steel and has a mass of 2.51 grams, a diameter of 19.93 millimeters, and a thickness of 1.25 millimeters. It uses medallic alignment and bears a plain edge, and like most coins, is round in shape. The rims of the both sides are raised and undecorated.

Featured in the center of the obverse is an illustration of the coat of arms of Zambia – which consists of a central escutcheon decorated with wavy lines, supported by a man in Western clothing and a woman in traditional attire, both standing on grass covered earth. Buildings, a plains zebra (Equus quagga), and an ear of corn (Zea mays) are additionally included on the earth, and a scroll bearing the national motto "ONE NATION ONE ZAMBIA" is displayed below. Surmounting the escutcheon in the arms are a crossing hoe and pickaxe and an African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) with outspread wings. The state title "ZAMBIA" is inscribed above the coin's rendition of the arms, arched clockwise at the upper rim. It is accompanied by the Gregorian date of the coin's minting, "1992", which appears in the opposite direction at the piece's bottom periphery. Displayed at the right side of the reverse is an image of a left-facing crowned hornbill (Tockus alboterminatus), a bird native to parts of Zambia, perched on a branch. This depiction, designed by English artist Norman Sillman (1921–2013), made its first appearance on a Zambian shilling in 1964, during the short period when Zambia used its non-decimal pound currency. It was later adapted for the 1966 shilling, and then for the first 10 ngwee piece of the decimalized kwacha, which had become virtually obsolete by the time the 25 ngwee coin was introduced. A large numeral "25", identifying the face value, is engraved to the left of the bird on the 25 ngwee piece. It is accompanied below by a right-aligned "TWENTY FIVE NGWEE", which is shown with "TWENTY FIVE" and "NGWEE" on separate lines.

The total mintage of the 25 ngwee is currently unknown. According to the Bank of Zambia, a small number of proof examples were included in sets.

References

• Numismatic Guaranty Corporation – Zambia 25 Ngwee KM# 29 (1992)
• Numista – 1 Shilling (1964) • 1 Shilling (1966) • 5 Shillings (1965) • 10 Ngwee (1968–1987) • 25 Ngwee (1992) (English) (French)
• Bank of Zambia – Numismatic Coins
• Zambian kwacha on the English Wikipedia