South Africa 1895 3 pence
This specimen was lot 41564 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $3,600. The catalog description[1] noted, "SOUTH AFRICA. 3 Pence, 1895. Pretoria Mint. NGC MS-64. Tied with just two others at the top spot in the NGC census for the date, this near-Gem minor presents great brilliance along with a light gray tone that intensifies as one approaches the peripheries." 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 1892-1900 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: 113,000, the toughest date.
Specification: 1.41 g, 0.925 fine silver, .042 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: KM-3; Hern-Z8.
- 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, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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