RSA (Pre-1994): Nelson Mandela / Umkhonto we Sizwe
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Form:
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Circular with attached loop.
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By:
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? |
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Date:
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1961 (?) |
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Ref:
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Laidlaw: 0657;
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Variations:
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| Size | Metal | Mass | Value |
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| 40.1 mm | Brass | 20.6 gm | $40 |
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Edge:
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Plain.
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Obverse:
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Bust of Mandela in middle age with beard wearing open-necked shirt, front and slightly right. Legend above: "Nelson Mandela" and below: "Symbol of resistance".
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Reverse:
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Stylised full figure of an African warrior, right, in loin cloth, spear raised in right arm, shield in left. Legend within quotation marks below: “The struggle is my life”.
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Notes:
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The medal was possibly issued after a press statement made by Mandela on 26 June 1961 in which he first used, 'the struggle is my life'.
It is not known where the medals was made; possibly in France where other medals of Mandela were made at this time; almost certainly not in South Africa.
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