Rare South African coins make an attractive and valuable portfolio asset. With that in mind, we take a look at the top 5 South African to invest in.

1. The Top 5 Rare South African Coins to Invest In
Investing in rare gold coins is an undeniably wise decision and your ROI can be considerable if you
know what to look for. The truth is though that unless you have access to reliable resources or the
time and means to research which coins would be best suited to your collection, you might find
yourself at a loss and not sure where to start.
To help guide you in the right direction, we’ve looked at the top 5 rare South African coins to invest
in, all of which can be purchased through South Cape Coins.

2. 1. 1902 Veldpond
This uniquely beautiful coin came into existence after 1901, during the final phase of the Anglo Boer
War when money was fast becoming scarce. At that time, the Commandos food was bought from
the Black Tribes, who would only accept gold coins as payment. This of course made any exchange
difficult because there was simply no money around.
A school principal by the name of P.J. Kloppers suggested that the Boers help ease the situation by
manufacturing their own coins. Basic machinery, though not entirely sufficient, was bought from
nearby mines and it took 6 attempts before a die was finally manufactured that didn’t crack when it
was cooled. It was a frustrating process made worse by the fact that it took many attempts to get
the correct gold ratio for the gold sheets. In the end however, 986 of the 1902 Veldpond were
minted with the handmade dies and put into circulation.

3. 2. 1898 Sammy Marks Tickey
Lithuanian immigrant turned industrialist and financier, Sammy Marks gained the confidence of
President Kruger and the South African government after moving to Pretoria in 1881. A defining
moment that firmly established him as a man of influence came after he advised Kruger to build a
railway line from Pretoria to Lourenco Marques. Kruger ran out of money and Marks subsequently
funded the project through various massive loans (nearly £3 million), although when the railway line
was finally completed he was mysteriously not invited to the official opening.
In 1898 Marks was offered free use of the mint for a day and he took the opportunity to strike 215
gold memento tickey’s for his family and friends. Though of course they were not circulated and
could not be considered legal tender, they are still considered to be exceptionally rare coins with an
interesting history.

4. 3. 1874 Coarse Beard
Thomas Francois Burgers was the 4th President of the South African Republic from 1871 till 1877, a
liberal and strongly reformist minister of the Dutch Reformed Church. A little known fact here is that
the gold used to strike this incredibly rare coin was mined in the same way as the 1902 Veldpond at
Pilgrim’s rest in that it also contained impurities and had to be melted down and refined.
There was a massive outcry from members of the Volksraad to Burger’s vain attempt to get his
portrait, together with the ZAR coat of arms, minted on the gold staatsponden, which was to have
the same intrinsic value as the British sovereign. Burger expected recognition and admiration for
producing the republics first indigenous coin but the move was instead viewed as foolish pride from
the strongly religious community.
The 1874 Coarse Beard got its name after a small batch of coins was minted by a second die after
the first one broke. This second batch, numbering just 142, shows Burger with a distinctive ‘coarse’
beard when compared to the fine beard mint.

5. 4. 1874 Fine Beard
Although not as rare as the Coarse Beard mint, the 1874 Fine Beard mintage numbered only 695
coins and is highly valuable. When compared to the coin above, you can clearly see the difference
between the beards.

6. 5. Double 99 Overstamp
In 1899 Mr J Perrin, a member of the South African government, instructed the Mint Master to over-
stamp 130 1898 Kruger Pound coins in celebration of the reopening of the Pretoria Mint. When the
first coin was struck (and subsequently became known at the world-renowned ‘Single 9’) it was
immediately noticed that the “9” on the punch was too large and a smaller punch was used to over-
stamp the remaining coins. The second striking of these coins became known as the Double 99
Overstamp and is a great example of one of the rare South African gold coins that can be purchased
through South Cape Coins.
For more information on South African coins, visit http://www.southcapecoins.co.za. With over 17
year’s industry experience, we are the premier dealers in rare coins, and specialists in building the
ideal rare coin portfolio to suit your investment needs and budget.