The South African (SA) Mint will celebrate the computed tomography (CT) scan, a medical technology developed by South African-born Allan McLeod Cormack, with the 2018 edition collectible crown and tickey coins.

With modern medicine relying heavily on tools for medical diagnosis and imaging methods, which have proven crucial in evaluating the extent of a disease, the SA Mint, in 2016, launched the South African Inventions coin series, to celebrate innovations by South Africans.

The SA Mint’s South African Innovations coins have, in the past, featured the dolos, designed by Eric Merrifield and Aubrey Kruger, and the heart transplant, in tribute to the first successful transplant performed by a team led by heart surgeon Dr Chris Barnard.

“The SA Mint is delighted to announce the launch of the beautifully designed and minted R2 Crown and 212c tickey coins in sterling silver, celebrating the [CT scan] medical breakthrough. The current theme, ‘South African Inventions’, aims to highlight globally relevant inventions and firsts by South Africans,” SA Mint MD Tumi Tsehlo explained on Tuesday.

In terms of features, the set contains the R2 crown with the reverse depicting a stylised representation of the human head, which indicates the area to be scanned, the denomination, the words ‘Computed Tomography’, and the year ‘1956’.

The obverse features the coat of arms of South Africa, the year ‘2018’, and the words ‘South Africa’ in all the official languages.

The reverse of the 212c tickey shows the different layers and tissue densities that can be distinguished with a CT scan, the denomination, and ‘AMC’ for Allan McLeod Cormack, while the obverse features the words ‘South Africa’, the year ‘2018’ and a King Protea.

The sterling-silver crown and tickey coin series was first issued as a commemorative range in 1997 and has since featured themes ranging from birds of prey and marine life to South Africa’s maritime history and the trains of South Africa.

Only 1 000 of the 2018 South African Inventions sterling-silver individual R2 crown coins and 1 000 of the single 212c sterling silver tickey coins will be produced.

Only 700 of these coin sets will be produced and will include the tickey coin, as well as a sterling-silver model of a human brain, packaged in a piano finish varnish and walnut wood box.