ZAR details

The early SA coin sets unfortunately didn't include those inserts, but now all the SA sets have them. I'm not sure when they started including them. My set didn't have one when I bought it.

Here is a photo of this coin that I found on a WhatsApp coin group. I did not know that NGC considers them fantasy pieces as that is not mentioned on the holder.

South Africa left the Commonwealth in 1961 but rejoined in 1994 after the end of Apartheid. Part of the reason for Queen Elizabeth's visit in 1995 was to commemorate this.

According to a former SA Mint official, the Mint presented one of these sets to the Queen during her visit. It is my understanding that they were not offered for sale to general collectors, probably only to people attending a special function or event. But I would need to do more research into this to be able to say for sure.

Thanks Zebo, will definitely order one of these books.

Thanks for your comment, in my opinion, those 2 crown-sized coins are most likely medallions, but I don’t think that the sovereign is. I think it is just a commemorative legal tender piece for the following reasons: 1) It weighs exactly the same as the standard sovereign, and it has the same dimensions. It is also struck in 22-carat gold. 2) The design on the coin is the same as sovereigns that have been minted in South Africa before (with some minor adjustments on the reverse). Please see the photos below. 3) The SA Mint got permission from the Royal Mint to strike the coin. This is the largest indicator for me that this is a legal tender coin, and not a token/fantasy piece. However, I might still be mistaken.

Hello everyone, I have this 1995 commemorative 7-coin set issued by the SA Mint. It was issued to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's visit to South Africa in 1995. 4 of the coins in the set are standard Union of South Africa coins with Queen Elizabeth’s portrait on (so from 1953 to 1960). Most likely the Mint just ordered these coins from a local dealer, as these are quite common here in South Africa. 2 of the coins are Crown-sized commemorative coins with identical designs, one in Cupro-nickel and one in silver. Please see the images below. Lastly, there is a gold sovereign dated 1995, with the younger portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse (the same as on the 1953 to 1960 South African coins), and the iconic design of St George slaying the dragon on the reverse. However, the reverse design looks slightly smaller on the coin than any other sovereigns I have seen before, and there is a SA mintmark to the right of the date. One of the most recently published South African coin price guides (the MTB South African graded coins numismatic pocket guide, 2018) gives this description of the sovereign: “Proof sovereign in 22crt gold, with a weight 7.988 grams. In 1995, for the Royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II, the SA Mint produced a set of unc coins: ½d, 1d, 2.5s, crown (see QEII series for circulation prices) and a unique gold sovereign, as well as two special commemorative crowns (see NE22 & NE24 above)” This same catalogue puts the mintage figure at only 30 for the set. My question is, is this set (and in particular the sovereign) a recognised rarity overseas? Even here in South Africa, it is a relatively unknown set. I have not been able to find a single case where one of these sets or even the individual sovereign has ever sold on an overseas auction. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I would also normally think it was nothing more than a nice MD coin, but NGC slabbed it as a DD, so I'm not sure. I known NGC has made mistakes in the past, but they are uncommon. I did see it on eBay, but the price tag (in my opinion) is too much for this coin, so I'm not planning to buy it.

There is definitely some doubling by the shirt, but it all looks too much like MD for me. It certainly is not part of the design.

Hello everyone, I’m doing research into the several known South African Doubled die variety coins and have come across this 1968 English inscription 1 cent coin. It was graded MS64 RD Doubled Die Obverse by NGC, however on closer inspection the coin looks more like a mechanical doubling fault than a true double die, but this is just my opinion. Please see the photos attached. This is the only example listed in the NGC census. What are your thoughts on the matter? Kind regards

Hello everyone, I have this 1914 wheat cent with an unusual pattern on the reverse. Would anyone be able to tell me if it is a cloth strike-through error, or if it is just post mint damage? Because the coin is well circulated I’m not sure myself what it is.