South Africa 1895 2-1/2 shillings
This specimen was lot 74604 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2023), where it sold for $288. The catalog description[1] noted, "SOUTH AFRICA. 2-1/2 Shillings, 1895. Pretoria Mint. PCGS AU-55. Quite pretty, this example displays warm rings of concentric toning that envelop the surfaces, with much underlying luster being retained." South Africa, after a turbulent history between English and Dutch settlers and the native population, was constituted the Union of South Africa in 1910. This coin was issued 1892-97 by the Afrikaner republic before its conquest by the British. With the collapse of apartheid, collecting South African coins is now respectable again.
Recorded mintage: 182,000.
Specification: 14.14 g, 0.925 fine silver, .420 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: KM-7; Hern-Z33.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Hern, Brian, John Bothma and Hercie Pieterse, Hern's Handbook on South African Coins & Patterns, Ferndale, South Africa, 2013.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the David Sterling Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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