Twelve 10-shilling coins dated 2000 make up the complete cycle of the Chinese zodiac, from the Rat to the Pig. Each reverse shows the animal of its year together with a row of the years that sign governs: 1900 to 2008 for the Rat, 1907 to 2003 for the Goat.

All twelve share one obverse: the Somali arms and the legend REPUBLIC OF SOMALIA with the value SHILLINGS 10 SCELLINI. Listed by Krause as KM# 90–101, the series was struck in nickel-clad steel at the Kremnica Mint in Slovakia and reached the market at about the same time as Somalia’s «XXI Century Food Security» coins.

These are collector pieces: catalogues note that Somali coins of this period were not official issues of the country and never circulated, and a face value of 10 shillings was worth less than one US cent. What the set does offer is a ready-made gift: everyone can find the coin for their own birth year, and the dates on the reverse make it easy without a zodiac chart.

Uncirculated (UNC): all twelve coins show no signs of circulation and retain their mint lustre.

VPcoins is a coin and banknote shop where collectable value comes first.