The South African Mint has opened a new chapter in its modern collector programme with The African Range, a high-relief proof series celebrating African wildlife through sculptural coin design. The first release focuses on the cheetah and captures the animal in the watchful “Survey” stage of a hunt.
A five-year story begins with Survey
The African Range is planned around five stages of a cheetah’s hunt: Survey, Stalk, Chase, Catch and Repose. Each annual release will focus on one stage, turning the collection into a developing wildlife narrative rather than a single standalone design.
For 2026, the cheetah is shown surveying its surroundings — poised, focused and ready to move. It is an effective opening theme for an animal renowned for speed, precision and instinct.
The South African Mint’s first high-relief proof series
The Mint describes The African Range as its first-ever high-relief proof coin series. The extra relief gives the designs greater depth and a distinctly sculptural character, an approach that suits the source material particularly well.
Both sides are modelled from sculptures by internationally acclaimed South African wildlife artist Dylan Lewis. The reverse presents the cheetah in its surveying stance, while the common obverse uses a powerful bust of the animal.
Gold and silver, with some exceptionally small mintages
The inaugural release stretches from substantial kilogram pieces down to a quarter-ounce gold coin. Gold is struck in Au 999.9, while the silver issues are Ag 999.
The gold range comprises a 1kg R1000 coin limited to just 10, a 5oz R500 limited to 50, a 2oz R200 limited to 200, a 1oz R100 limited to 500, and a ¼oz R50 with a limited edition of 2,000.
Silver collectors have three larger-format choices: the 1kg R50 with a limited edition of 100, the 5oz R20 limited to 350, and the 2oz R10 limited to 2,000.
A different direction for South African wildlife coins
South Africa already has some of the world’s most recognisable wildlife coin programmes, but The African Range has a different character. Its high-relief treatment, sculpture-led artwork and planned five-stage narrative give collectors a clear reason to follow the series from its first release.
The particularly low mintages at the top end of the range also make the 2026 Surveying Cheetah an interesting starting point. With the next stages already defined, collectors know that this opening design is intended to become the first chapter of a larger set.
The African Range on BT
Explore the gold and silver Surveying Cheetah releases on Bullion Tracker, with coin imagery, key details and direct links to each listing.
