SURINAME, ROOSTER, 5 CENT, 1978

OBVERSE: A single word—“SURINAME”—below a coat of arms is the sparse design of this coin. The South American country of Suriname was granted independence from its colonial overseers, the Netherlands, on November 25, 1975, the same day the coat of arms was adopted. Variants of this design, with two native warriors on either side of a shield, had been around for several hundred years, used by the Dutch for their Suriname territory. By 1962, this coat of arms came into circulation.

REVERSE: “5 CENT” and “1978” is the brief citation on the reverse of this coin, encircled by an intricate calligraphic scroll design. The coinage of Suriname was minted by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (KNM), the Royal Dutch Mint, and issued by the Central Bank of Suriname. Since 1567, KNM has used the caduceus (staff of the ancient Greek god Mercury) as its mintmark, seen on this coin to the right of “CENT.” To the left is a rooster hallmark.

EDGE: Smooth