Chimpanzee, squirrel monkey, baboon, mangabey and macaque: five primates from different corners of the world on five Somaliland 5 shilling coins of 2017.

Each coin is labelled with a Latin species name, as in a field guide: «Pan Troglodytes» (common chimpanzee), «Saimiri Sciureus» (the South American squirrel monkey), «Papio Anubis» (olive baboon), «Cercocebus Atys» (sooty mangabey) and «Macaca Nemestrina» (the pig-tailed macaque of Southeast Asia). The shared side bears the emblem, «REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND», the date and the value «5 SHILLINGS».

The set continues the brass series begun a year earlier with five big cats: the same value and format, now with primates. The Krause catalogue lists the coins as KM# 117–121. This is a collector issue that never entered circulation.

For a monkeys on coins collection it brings five different species at once, and next to the 2016 set it continues a single series. All coins are UNC: no trace of circulation, mint lustre intact.

Would you like to complete the whole series? See the other issues in the VPcoins catalogue.