We often talk about and reference real women when it comes to the 100 Greatest Women on Coins series as introduced by Whitman Publishing. However, symbolism in the form of a woman can be just as important to a country’s currency and coinage as we are about to find out in our next exploration of Whitman’s compilation. With help from author Ron Guth, we will look more in depth at a design that not only featured a woman, but reflected the priority of the country it was issued in.
#90 – Young Woman Writing
Introduced in 1980, the Young Woman Writing design is featured on the 1-metical coin from Mozambique. Depicted as a student writing in a notebook, the young woman appears on all 1-metical obverse design since 1980. However, they were issued sporadically in the following years: 1980-1986, 1994, and 2006 when denomination ended.
Unique to say the least, many would wonder why the design was chosen for the coins. Under the reform coinage of 1980, Mozambique’s government wanted them to reflect the country’s priorities. Other coins produced in 1980 included the seal or emblem of Mozambique on the reverse with a cog wheel (representing industry) surrounded by ears of corn and wheat (representing agriculture). The center would feature a book in the background representing education and a bayoneted rifle (military) crossed with a hoe (agriculture) in the foreground. The obverses of the coins would coincide with one of the themes and the young woman writing images on the metical represented education.
The designs themselves were incredible examples of how coins can be used to influence a country’s people by reinforcing those values, according to Guth. In 2013, Mozambique’s literacy rate was at 56% compared to the world’s rates of 84.1%. Education is a crucial component of ensuring the growth, development, and future of a country.
A major factor of the low literacy rate Mozambique has had is a direct correlation to the history of disruptions the country has endured. They won their independence from Portugal in 1975 and immediately ousted all the Portuguese and took their assets. They also were part of a civil war from 1977-1992 to which the effects displaced millions of people looking to escape from the violence. As the war ended, millions returned to their homes as stability was restored within the country. In 2002 they endured a cyclone that took out infrastructure and ever since 2004, AIDS affected hundreds of thousands of people.
Collecting difficulty for the 1-metical coins of Mozambique is easy, according to Guth. They are inexpensive and readily available.