São Tomé & Príncipe 1993 Olympic Tennis Coin – Two Different Designs?

I noticed that the tennis coin from the São Tomé & Príncipe 1993 (ND) Atlanta 1996 Olympic series seems to exist in two clearly different versions.

N#82502

Racket design:

One version shows a mesh/string pattern, while the other has a solid racket head

Positioning of the design:

The athlete’s head appears in a slightly different position relative to the lettering (e.g., closer to “PI” vs. “LI” in OLIMPICOS)

Could the second be a fake? Or a reissue? Or a trial?

Are there similar variations in the other coins in the series?

 

 

bjherbison

Could the second be a fake? Or a reissue? Or a trial?

 

Are there similar variations in the other coins in the series?

The other 11 coins show no significant differences. I suspect this series were produced by different mints. These African commemoratives were likely struck by a private mint in the United Kingdom, such as Pobjoy Mint.

If they were fake, it’s unlikely the forgers would create an entirely new design.

This series was struck at two different mints: Gold Reef City Mint, Johannesburg and the Cape Mint, Cape Town. That could explain the difference. The question is, why is there only a difference in the tennis coin? Or maybe there are more coins with differences. When you don't know there are differences you pay less attention comparing.

Essor Prof

This series was struck at two different mints: Gold Reef City Mint, Johannesburg and the Cape Mint, Cape Town. That could explain the difference. The question is, why is there only a difference in the tennis coin? Or maybe there are more coins with differences. When you don't know there are difference you pay less attention comparing.

Hi, thanks for the information! The other 11 coins also show differences in the fonts and in the details of the athletes, just not as obvious as the tennis coin.