1966 Rhodesian One Pound Gold Proof Coin NGC Graded PF 66

NGC graded 22-carat gold One Pound coin, minted for Rhodesia in 1966. Obverse: Arnold Machin’s second definitive coinage portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, facing right and wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. The legend reads: ‘ELIZABETH THE SECOND’. Reverse: lion and tusk (adopted as the state symbol of Rhodesia, previously the British South Africa Company logo) dividing date: 1966. Legend above reads: ‘RHODESIA’ and below: ‘ONE POUND’. These coins are identical in size, weight and purity to a British Sovereign: they are composed of 7.98 grams of 22-carat gold and have a diameter of 22.05 millimetres. They were produced by the South African Mint for the new Rhodesian national bank, not long after the white separatist minority government had declared independence in November 1965. Following a 15-year guerrilla war, Rhodesia would emerge as the Republic of Zimbabwe in 1980. Only 5,000 of these gold Rhodesian One Pound coins were issued in 1966 and they represent a significant year in the history of Zimbabwe. This example has been graded PF 66 by the Numismatic Guaranty Company. It comes sealed in its standard brown label holder.