South Africa 1981 rand KM-88
This specimen was lot 76280 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice Online Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2025), where it sold for $85. The catalog description[1] noted, "SOUTH AFRICA. Silver Rand, 1981. NGC PROOF-66 Ultra Cameo." This type was struck in nickel (KM 88a, struck 1977-89), silver (shown here, struck 1970-90) and gold (KM 63). The silver issue came out first, in 1970, but was converted to nickel in 1977 while the collector proofs continued to be struck in silver. The gold rand uses an entirely different design. In 1983, US$1 = 1.13 rand; at present (April 2024), US$1 = 18.8 rand.
Recorded mintage: 12,000 silver proofs plus 2,035,000 for circulation.
Specification: 15 g, 0.800 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-88 (silver) or KM 88a (nickel).
- Hern, Brian, John Bothma and Hercie Pieterse, Hern's Handbook on South African Coins & Patterns, Ferndale, South Africa, 2013.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancients, World Coins & World Paper Money, David B. Simpson Medals & World Coins Part 1, Selections from the Richard Margolis Collection, and Selections from the L. E. Bruun Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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