South African Rand Coins – Donation by Cliff Gundle, London Cape Town was founded in 1652. That was the beginning of the immigration of white settlers to
southern Africa, mostly of Dutch origin, called Boers. Towards the end of the 18th century, however,
the Brits began to occupy the Cape region, and in 1806, the Cape became a British colony. When
conflicts between the Brits and the Boers started to escalate in the 1830's, many Boers left the Cape
Colony on the Great Trek, an exhausting journey up north, where they founded the Boer republics
Orange Free State and Transvaal.
The discovery of diamonds and gold was of great economic importance for the colonies of the Boers.
These finds drew thousands of gold seekers and adventurers – mostly of British origin – into the
country. The economic importance of the North increased, which was the reason for Cecil Rhodes, the
prime minister of the Cape Colony, to subdue the three Boer republics under British rule. During the
Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) the Brits conquered Orange Free State and Transvaal. Some years
later (1910) the Cape Colony and the republics Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal were united to
the Union of South Africa.
The following Coin Tour recounts the history of South Africa, from the first colonization to the
foundation of the republic in 1961. Because coinage set in rather late in South Africa, the
MoneyMuseum shows this development on the basis of the modern South African rand coins.
1 von 10 www.sunflower.ch Republic of South Africa, 1 Rand 1980 1 Rand Republic of South Africa Pretoria (Tshwane) 1980 3.9 20.0 Gold Schenkung Denomination: Mint Authority: Mint: Year of Issue: Weight (g): Diameter (mm): Material: Owner: In 1652, the Dutchman Jan van Riebeeck, employee of the Dutch East India Company, was sent to the
South African cape to establish a way station for ships traveling from Europe to the Dutch East Indies.
He founded Cape Town, the first permanent European settlement on South African soil. In the
following decades Dutch Calvinists, German colonists and from 1689 also French Huguenot refugees
settled in and around Cape Town.
At the beginning of the 19th century Great Britain conquered the Cape Colony and enacted
comprehensive legal and political reforms. English was declared as official language, and British law
was introduced. The monies circulating within the Cape Colony – Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
and Indian gold and silver coins – were replaced by British coins. In 1825, the British currency was
made official legal tender.
2 von 10 www.sunflower.ch Republic of South Africa, 1 Rand 1980 Denomination: Mint Authority: Mint: Year of Issue: Weight (g): Diameter (mm): Material: Owner: 1 Rand Republic of South Africa Pretoria (Tshwane) 1980 30.0 Others Schenkung When the Dutch East India Company established Cape Town in 1652, it did not think of founding a
colony on the South African Cape of Good Hope. Cape Town was meant to provide a sheltered harbor
for the ships of the company, to stock up provisions and to care for ailing travelers. But as the flow of
trade increased, the demand for provisions grew. This made it soon profitable to grow crops and breed
cattle around Cape Town itself. Thus the white settlers on the cape mainly lived on agriculture and
livestock farming. They called themselves Afrikaner or Boers.
The early settlers did not mint coins at the South African cape. The first Dutch colonists had brought
some coins from home, and that was sufficient in the beginning. With the increase of trade, coins from
all over the world made their way to the cape. In 1802 some guilders were struck in the Netherlands for
South Africa, but they never made it to the goal. When the British took over power in 1806, British
coins became the official currency of the Cape Colony.
3 von 10 www.sunflower.ch Republic of South Africa, 50 Cents 1980 Denomination: Mint Authority: Mint: Year of Issue: Weight (g): Diameter (mm): Material: Owner: 50 Cent Republic of South Africa Pretoria (Tshwane) 1980 27.0 Others Schenkung When the Brits annexed the South African Cape Colony in 1806, they found an established settlement
with about 25,000 slaves, 20,000 white colonists, 15,000 Khoikhoi and coloured. Power resided solely
with a white elite in Cape Town. Of the whites about 80 percent were Boers, orthodox and godly, in a
pastoral world enrooted people. Differentiation on the basis of race was deeply entrenched and strictly
observed.
With the rising number of British immigrants, the Boers lost their dominant position, however. A
pattern soon emerged whereby English speakers became highly urbanized, and dominated politics,
trade, finance, mining and manufacturing, while the largely uneducated Boers were relegated to their
farms. Hence to back out of the British sphere of power, many Boers retreated to the hinterlands. In
1835 thousands of Boers decided to trek off into the interior in search of greater independence.
4 von 10 www.sunflower.ch Republic of South Africa, 20 Cents 1980 Denomination: Mint Authority: Mint: Year of Issue: Weight (g): Diameter (mm): Material: Owner: 20 Cent Republic of South Africa Pretoria (Tshwane) 1980 24.0 Others Schenkung Around the mid-19th century the economy of the British Cape Colony in South Africa began to boom.
The mining of copper was being established, and the manufacturing of merino wool introduced. The
former Boer republic Natal became a British colony. At the beginning of the 1860s the harbor of Table
Bay was extended and the railway from Cape Town to Wellington was built. It was a time of awakening
in southern Africa. At last in 1872, the Cape Colony attained internal self-government from Great
Britain. This was the first step towards an independent state of South Africa.
At that time the Cape Colony used mainly British currency; besides, Spanish pesos were popular means
of payment. To pay for small amounts, tokens were used; they are known in various designs.
Additionally towards the end of the 19th century, the government of the Cape Colony made plans to
mint its own coins. Only patterns were issued though, all in penny denominations.
5 von 10 www.sunflower.ch Republic of South Africa, 10 Cents 1980 Denomination: Mint Authority: Mint: Year of Issue: Weight (g): Diameter (mm): Material: Owner: 10 Cent Republic of South Africa Pretoria (Tshwane) 1980 21.0 Others Schenkung In 1835 thousands of white South African farmers packed their belongings on wagons and set off
towards the north. In 1842, they founded the Orange Free State north of the Orange River, and in 1852
the Transvaal republic. There, the Boers lived according to their beliefs – as self-supporters who had
their lands and cattle worked by slaves.
At the end of the 1860s the discovery of rich natural resources in the Boer republics turned the Boers'
world on its head. In 1869 diamonds were found near the Orange River, and in 1886 a tremendous lode
of gold was located in the Transvaal republic. These finds led to the immigration of countless workers
and adventurers to the Boer republics. Under the presidency of Paul Kruger, Transvaal refused to
bestow the "uitlanders" (foreigners) with equal legal and political rights.
This provided Great Britain with the pretext to appoint itself as lawyer for the "uitlanders" and to take
action against the independence of the Boer republics. The genuine interest of the Brits lay with the
treasures of the soil, however. Hence in the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) the Boer republics
were annexed and incorporated into the British colonial empire.
6 von 10 www.sunflower.ch Republic of South Africa, 5 Cents 1980 Denomination: Mint Authority: Mint: Year of Issue: Weight (g): Diameter (mm): Material: Owner: 5 Cent Republic of South Africa Pretoria (Tshwane) 1980 18.0 Others Schenkung Naturally the Boers could not carry on against the highly armed British troops in the long run. In 1902
the last of the Boers surrendered and the Second Boer War ended with the Treaty of Vereeniging. The
two Boer republics Transvaal (also called South African Republic) and Orange Free State were
integrated into the British Empire. In other respects, however, the Boers were conceded generous
conditions of peace. They obtained the rights of British citizens, and Afrikaans was acknowledged as
official language.
In the last year of the war the Boers of the Transvaal had minted gold coins. On the run from the
overwhelming British forces they had struck 986 pieces of so-called veld ponds – coined by hand on a
makeshift mint set up in the fields. The obverse of the veld ponds bore the intricated letters ZAR (ZuidAfrikaansche Republiek) and the date 1902, while the reverse denoted the value EEN POND. Of these
very rare coins many forgeries are in circulation today – so be aware of "bargains"!
7 von 10 www.sunflower.ch Republic of South Africa, 2 Cents 1980 Denomination: Mint Authority: Mint: Year of Issue: Weight (g): Diameter (mm): Material: Owner: 2 Cent Republic of South Africa Pretoria (Tshwane) 1980 23.0 Copper Schenkung In 1910 the two former Boer republics Transvaal and Orange Free State were united with the British
dominated Cape Province and Natal to form the Union of South Africa. As self-governed British
dominion, the new union remained under the crown of the British Empire. Accordingly Great Britain
still delivered the coins South Africa needed. They bore the bust of the English king on their obverse,
together with the title REX IMPERATOR. The reverse showed the name SOUTH AFRICA – ZUID
AFRIKA.
8 von 10 www.sunflower.ch Republic of South Africa, 1 Cent 1980 1 Cent Republic of South Africa Pretoria (Tshwane) 1980 Denomination: Mint Authority: Mint: Year of Issue: Weight (g): Diameter (mm): Material: Owner: 18.0 Copper Schenkung The state of South Africa issued its first coins in 1923. They bore the image of the British King George
V on their obverse, as South Africa was a member of the British Commonwealth at that time.
Accordingly the South African currency was geared to the British pound – one pound was divided into
20 shillings or 240 pence. It was a currency system that had been invented about 1,100 years earlier by
Charlemagne.
In the early 1960s the South African Union left the Commonwealth of Nations and in 1961 established
the Republic of South Africa. The same year, the rand was introduced as new currency. The name
"rand" derives from the Witwatersrand, the region where most of South Africa's gold deposits are
located – deposits that make South Africa the most important source of gold worldwide.
The rand did not follow the British currency any more, but was divided decimally: one rand equaled 100
cents. The first rand coins were issued in gold; since 1965, the rand was struck in silver, and from 1979
it was made from nickel.
9 von 10 www.sunflower.ch Republic of South Africa, 2 Rand 1980 Denomination: Mint Authority: Mint: Year of Issue: Weight (g): Diameter (mm): Material: Owner: 2 Rand Republic of South Africa Pretoria (Tshwane) 1980 7.98 23.0 Gold Schenkung The characteristic motif on South African coins is the springbok, the nation's heraldic animal. The
springbok is also the emblem of diverse sport teams in South Africa – after all, it runs with a speed of
about 55 miles (90 kilometers) per hour and leaps up to 11.5 feet (3.5 meters). It is thus not amazing
that South Africa's national rugby team has adopted the nickname "the Springboks."
After the abolition of apartheid there were discussions in South Africa whether the springbok as symbol
for the national rugby team was still acceptable, since it had been the emblem of the white minority rule.
At that point, Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa, piped up. He announced that he
had excitedly followed the games of the Springboks while being imprisoned, and had always hoped for
their victory. This set an abrupt end to the discussions.
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