South Africa 1931 2-1/2 shillings
The first specimen was lot 25768 in Heritage sale 3026 (Long Beach, October 2013), where it sold for $4,993.75. The catalog description[1] noted,
"A Superb Proof of 1931: George V Proof 2 1/2 Shillings 1931, rare, PR65 NGC, snow white and deeply mirrored, a joyous specimen! Elusive in choice condition in proof with a total mintage of 852 pieces, 790 for commercial purposes and just 62 in proof state. South Africa's strife-filled history, often plagued by drought and famine as well as human conflict, entered upon a new period after the Second Anglo-Boer War ended in May 1902, when under the terms of the Treaty of Vereeniging the various Boer republics knelt to British sovereignty, and in due course a coinage was introduced starting in 1923 under King George V which brought to the nation a more finely manufactured, and consistent, metallic money which continued to be struck for decades under three monarchs as the country itself became increasingly more modern. Independence movements swept the African continent beginning in the late 1950s, and in 1961 a new ZAR coinage replaced the British issues. For some time reviled, the regal British coinage came to be cherished as part of the history of the ZAR, and today great values are assigned to many of these pieces, which are collected worldwide. The appearance at auction of a fabulous proof specimen such as this coin presents the serious numismatist with what is often casually termed a 'collecting opportunity.' In this case, the opportunity is genuine."
The second specimen was part of lot 1621 in Stacks-Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2015), which sold for $27,260. The catalog description[2] noted, "SOUTH AFRICA. Eight Piece Proof Set, 1931. 8 pieces in set. Mintage of only 62 sets. The copper issues have a beautiful milk chocolate patina with light iridescent toning on hard proof surfaces. The silver issues have a light iridescent toning on hard proof surfaces which deepens to a charcoal grey towards the peripherals with the 6 pence darker overall than the others. An attractive and evenly matched set graded by PCGS. Grades as follows: 1/4 Penny PROOF-64 BN, 1/2 Penny PROOF-64 BN, PROOF-64 BN, 3 Pence PROOF-64 CAMEO, 6 Pence PROOF-64, Shilling PROOF-64 CAMEO, 2 Shilling PROOF-64 CAMEO, and the 2 1/2 Shilling PROOF-64." This is the key date for South African half crowns. In 1931, the reverse was modified to read "SUID AFRIKA" instead of "ZUID AFRIKA" and struck in this form until 1936.
Recorded mintage: 790 plus 62 proofs.
Specification: 14.14 g, 0.500 fine silver, 32.3 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: Hern-S282, KM 19.3. KM-PS6; Hern-P7 (proof set).
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th 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]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and Scott Cordry, Heritage Signature Auction 3026, World & Ancient Coins, featuring the RLM Collection, Part Two, the Nogales Collection and the Goetz Medals Die Archive, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2013.
- [2]Ponterio, Richard, The January 2015 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Featuring the John W. Adams and Ray Czabor Collections, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2014.
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