The ZAR Coinage of 1892
Part 3: New Information Discovered
Pierre H. Nortje (May 2025)
Introduction
In December 2023, a two-part paper was published on this website regarding the ZAR coinage of 1892. Part 1 looked at some anomalies regarding the number of coins minted, when the Berlin-struck coins were issued to the public, the striking of the first coins in Pretoria, and the scarcity of the issues. Part 2 discussed the rare proof issues and the Glück auf Transvaal medal.
Recently, the webmaster of the WCNS, Derick Rabe, initiated access to files kept in the National Archives in Pretoria that relate to the years that the ZAR Mint was in operation. Extremely important documents were discovered, many of which were probably never accessed by numismatists before and some certainly never published before. In this paper, this information will be revealed.
Short summary of the two first parts previously published
The ZAR-coinage mintage figures, supplied by generations of South African coin catalogues, are based on those published by J.T. Becklake, the last Deputy Master of the Royal Mint and the first Director of the South African Mint in Pretoria. Becklake, we believe, based his figures, first published in 1934, on those supplied by the manager of the National Bank in Pretoria in 1901.
The mintage figures were based on the total value of each denomination’s mintage. For example, the value of the half ponde minted in 1892 was £5 075, so it can be deduced that double that number of coins, i.e. 10 150, were struck. (However, we know today that this does not reflect the true picture, because in certain years some of the denominations were struck with dies that bear more than one date e.g. both 1892 and 1893 dated Pennies were struck in the same year.)
Referring to the first year of Kruger issues of the ZAR (1892), Becklake states that all the gold ponde and half ponde, as well as the pennies, were struck in Berlin. Regarding the silver coinage, his figures reveal that all the 5-shillings pieces, half-crowns, sixpences and threepences were also struck in Berlin, along with 36.78% of the 2-shillings, and 61.94% of the shillings.
Regarding the question when the first ZAR coins were issued to the public, the answer is that we simply do not know but from what we could gather (in Part 1) was that by 6 July 1892, only the 5-shillings, ½ pond and pond denominations were in circulation with the pond probably issued at an earlier date than the other two. When and if the lower denominations were circulated in 1892, we simply did not have any concrete proof of.
New Information
In this section, we will discuss the different denominations separately, starting unexpectedly, with the ½ penny.
The Half Penny
In the book, Heroes of the Boer War, by Frederick Rompel, published in 1903, a picture is shown on page 46 of the Kruger coin series including a half penny.
Pic 1
On the picture on the left, if one takes a closer look at the ½ penny, it could be easily seen that the picture was doctored with the “½” showing an unnatural silver colour. We know (see Part 1, where the 1982 mintage figures are shown that were supplied by the Berlin Mint in 1905) that this denomination was never struck, but it is not known how close the government actually came to doing this.
The pictures on the right show that the Mint Act (No. 14 of 1892) indeed made provision for a half penny denomination, which never materialised.
The Penny
A handwritten document (1891) was found in the archives that describes the first Kruger coins in terms of the figures and symbols to be displayed on their respective obverses and reverses. What is interesting is that the word “Penning” and not “Penny” was suggested (and the word “Schelling” was suggested for “Shilling”). These proposals were obviously not accepted.
Pic 2
On the 3rd of August 1892, the National Bank informed the State Secretary that in eight days’ time, a shipment of bronze issues (pennies thus) is expected from Germany. This means that the Pennies could only have been put into circulation from around mid-August 1892 onwards.
Pic 3
On the 18th of August 1892, the National Bank informed the State Secretary that 66 dies were received from Germany, including 12 obverse and 6 reverse Penny-dies.
Pic 4
We do not know when the first pennies were struck in Pretoria with these dies, but on 27 October, the National Bank requested the State Secretary for written confirmation on a request by them to delay the start of the production process (see pic. 5 below). According to the figures supplied by the German Mint (see Part 1), no pennies were struck in Pretoria in 1892, only shillings and 2-shillings.
Pic 5
The 3-Pence
On the 15th of November 1892, the Berlin Mint corresponded with the ZAR National Bank (picture below left) who on the 31st of December 1892 informed the State Secretary (picture below right) that it received confirmation from Berlin that 7 barrels of both 3d pieces and planchets have been shipped off to South Africa and that the weight and quality thereof concur with the Mintage Act of 1891.
In the Berlin document, regarding the coins (not the planchets), the total weight is given as 68.764 pounds of pure (.999) equalling 63.607 pounds of sterling (.925) silver. This means that 34 382 grams of pure silver, equalling 31 803.5 grams sterling silver, were sent. (Please note that the German metric conversion differs from what we use today, with 1 pound then equalling 500 grams rather than the current 453.6 grams.)
Becklake’s figures tell us that Berlin struck 24 300 3d pieces in 1892.
However, because the coins were struck in .925 silver we can deduce from the Berlin document that only 22 495 coins were produced. If the coins (theoretically) were struck in .999 silver, the number would be 24 319 pieces, virtually the same as the number Becklake provides. For this anomaly to make any sense, Becklake must have provided the cost of the silver in his figures, and not the value that the coins amount to, but then, all the mintage figures that our SA catalogues provide are wrong. (Which they are in any case because, as we have stated, they do not consider the fact that different dates were struck in the same year.)
Regarding the 3d planchets sent by the German Mint, the weight(s) given amount to 150 993 pieces, an unexpectedly high number. As we know that no pieces were struck in Pretoria; these were used for production the next year, many undoubtedly struck with 1892 dies.
If one looks at the date of the correspondence of the two documents (late in 1892), it is highly unlikely that the Berlin-struck coins arrived early enough in SA to be put into circulation that year.
Pic 6
The 6-Pence
On the 15th of December 1892, the National Bank informed the State Secretary that 12 obverse and 6 reverse dies each for 6d, 2/- and 2/6 denominations were received from Germany.
Pic 7
The weight of the 6d planchets amounted to 75.404 pounds gross (69.749 pounds nett equalling 34.8745 kilograms of .925 silver). As the weight of a ZAR sixpence is 2.83 grams, the number of 6d planchets must therefore have been 12 323. We know that all the sixpences struck in 1892 were minted at the Berlin Mint. We believe that when these 12 323 blanks were struck in Pretoria the next year (1893), the dies carried the year 1892. We could not find any information on when the Berlin-struck issues, dated 1892, arrived in South Africa and were put into circulation.
The Shilling
As we have stated before, according to Becklake, 61.94% of the 1892 dated shillings were struck in Berlin, which means that 49 336 Shillings were struck in Pretoria in that year.
On 10 September 1892, the National Bank informed the State Secretary that the first batch of shillings were received from Berlin and were the first to be put into circulation. (We are not sure what the “first to be put in circulation” means: - probably the first of the lower denominations, as the Berlin-struck 5/-, £½ and £1 were already in circulation.)
Pic 8
On the 28th of September 1892, the National Bank informed the State Secretary that 12 dies for Shilling pieces were received from Berlin.
Pic 9
Three months later, on the 13th of December 1892, the National Bank informed the State Secretary that the Mint had shilling pieces worth £2450 ready for delivery to the National Bank. This equates to 49 000 pieces struck in Pretoria; the number not differing much from the number deduced from Becklake’s figures (49 336).
Pic 10
In the document shown in Pic. 8, dated 14th of April 1893, it is recorded that 606.92 pounds sterling (303.46 kilograms) of silver planchets for shillings were shipped from Germany to South Africa. This equates to 53 661 pieces. We believe that these blanks were struck in Pretoria with dies carrying the 1892 date.
The 2-Shillings
As we have said before, according to Becklake, 36.78% of the 1892 dated 2-shillings were struck in Berlin, which means that 34 901 2-Shillings were struck in Pretoria in that year.
On the 7th of December 1892, the National Bank informed the State Secretary that it received confirmation from Berlin that 10 barrels of planchets for 2-shilling pieces were shipped off to South Africa, weighing 732.258 pounds in fine silver (366.129 kilograms). This equates 32 371 coins. (See Becklake’s figure of 34 901 above).
Pic 11
As shown in Pic.7, the dies for the 2/- pieces were received by 15th of December 1892. By that date, the planchets could hardly have arrived yet, so we find it hard to believe that, despite what Becklake said, any 2/- pieces were struck in Pretoria in 1892. (For the shillings that were struck by 13 December that year in Pretoria, it took well over 2 months since their dies were first received at the end of September). Unless there was, for some reason, a long delay between the dates that the German Mint correspondence regarding the 2/- planchets and dies was received by the National Bank, and it informed the State Secretary.
In the document shown in Pic. 8, dated 14th of April 1893, it is recorded 596.41 kilograms of sterling silver planchets for 2-shillings were shipped from Germany to South Africa. This equates to 52 732 pieces, a figure nearly the same as the 53 661 pieces for shillings. We believe that these blanks were struck in Pretoria with dies carrying the 1892 date.
The Half Crown
We know that no half-crowns were struck in Pretoria in 1892. As shown in Pic.7, the 12 obverse and 6 reverse dies for them were received by 15th of December 1892.
In the document shown in Pic. 8, dated 14th of April 1893, it is recorded 1537.692 pounds (768.85 kilograms) of sterling silver planchets for half-crowns were shipped from Germany to South Africa. This equates to 54 382 pieces, a figure near the same as the 53 661 pieces for shillings and the 52 732 for 2-shillings. We believe, but have no proof of this, that all these planchets were struck with dies bearing the date 1892. Coin collectors know that these 3 denominations dated 1893 are scarce, much scarcer than the 1892 dates, but the mintage numbers deduced from Becklake’s figures indicate the opposite.
The 5-Shilling
In Part 1, we mentioned that at the cornerstone laying ceremony of the National Bank on 6 July 1892, a £1 banknote, a gold £1 and £½ and a silver 5-shilling, were concealed behind the cornerstone. In President Kruger’s speech during the ceremony, he referred to the coins by saying “… die muntstukke van hierdie Republiek wat tot hede uitgegee is” (…the coins of this Republic issued to date). These coins, we believe, are undoubtedly the double shaft varieties.
On 4 July 1892, 2 days before the ceremony, the National Bank wrote to the President regarding this issue.
Pic 12
On the 8th of June 1892, the Berlin Mint corresponded with the ZAR National Bank (picture below left) who on 23 July 1892 informed the State Secretary (picture right) that it received confirmation from Berlin that 34 barrels of 5-shilling planchets have been shipped off to South Africa and that the weight and quality of the coins concur with the Mintage Act of 1891.
Pic 13
In its letter, the Berlin Mint states that the gross weight (.999 fine) of the silver is 2686.053 pounds and the nett weight (.925 sterling silver) 2484.599 pounds. They also mention that the nominal coin value of the 5-shilling planchets is £11 876 which equates to 47 504 pieces. This is somewhat confusing, as a nett weight of 2484.599 pounds is 1242.3 kilogram of .925 silver = 43 929 pieces (with a coin value of £10 982).
But both of these figures differs from those supplied by Becklake, because he says that originally £11 500 worth of 5/- pieces were struck in Pretoria (46 000 pieces) of which £8 000 worth (32 000 coins) were later melted to struck shilling pieces, thus leaving 14 000 coins for general circulation.
On the 3rd of August 1892, the National Bank informed the State Secretary that by that date, only the 5/-, £½, and £1 denominations, struck in Europe, had been brought into circulation. It confirms that although the planchets for the 5/- have been received, the Pretoria Mint was not yet operational. The National Bank confirms that striking of these coins (5/- issued) will immediately commence as soon as the Mint is ready for production.
Pic 14
On the 18th of August 1892 (see Pic 4), the National Bank confirmed that the dies for the 5-Shillings (with those for the Penny, £½, and £1 denominations) arrived from Berlin.
In terms of what we could gather from the following two documents, the Mint received permission from the State Secretary on 5 November 1892, to start production.
Pic 15
However, contrary to what was promised (see Pic. 14), the Mint started with the striking of shillings and no 5-shilling pieces were minted during 1892.
On the 3rd of January 1893, the National Bank informed the State Secretary that the time is near for the Mint to be fully operational (i.e. to strike all the denominations).
Pic 16
On the 19th of January 1893, the National Bank confirmed that 20 000 5-Shillings will be ready for delivery that coming Saturday (21 January). As we shall see at the end of this paper, we believe these to be double shaft issues. According to Becklake’s figures, another 26 000 were eventually struck, of which 32 000 of the total of 46 000 were melted and only 14 000 were put into circulation – these were all the single shaft variety. The first 4327 double shaft issues struck in Berlin, were then already in circulation since at least July the previous year.
Pic 17
The Half Pond & Pond
On the 18th of August 1892, the National Bank informed the State Secretary that 66 dies were received from Germany, including 12 obverse and 6 reverse dies each for the £½, and £1 denominations (See Pic. 4). Their production only started in 1893, but we do not know exactly when this happened. We also could not find, unlike the silver denominations, that any gold planchets were received from Berlin.
A Few Last Comments
Our last pictures are of two documents, the first from the German Mint dated 12 April 1893 regarding ZAR dies (picture below left) and a confirmation from Pretoria that the document was received, dated 19 May 1893 (picture below right).
Pic 18
According to Wikipedia: -
The matrix is an "original die": indeed, it has its design in the same sense as a die. The design is incised into the matrix, which is used to create punches. The creation of a matrix addresses the basic problem for the coinage of multiplying dies, i.e. having enough accurate copies of dies to produce long runs of essentially identical coins. The creation of a master punch from a matrix is called "hobbing". In contrast, a patrix is a type of master punch with a design in relief, used to create dies.
The German document states that for the reverses, from the penny up to the half-crown (all dated 1892) two dies each were made, being both a matrix and a patrix per denomination. For the 5-Shillings (dated 1892), four dies each were made, being 2 x matrices and 2 x patrices.
For the ½ pond, dies were made dating 1892 and 1893. The 1892 date has four dies, each being 2 x matrixes and 2 x patrixes, while the 1893 date only has 1 matrix and 1 patrix. These numbers for the ½ pond dies are exactly the same for the pond (also dated 1892 and 1893).
On the German document, the following notes were made at the bottom: -
1. For the 1/2 pound and 5 shilling coins, duplicate dies and punches had to be made due to a modification of the drawbar.
2. The reverse dies and punches for the six silver coin varieties and the 1 penny piece with the year 1893 are still in progress.
This is very important information, because it indicates that the corrected single shaft “original dies” for the 1/2 pound and 5 shilling coins were only made by 12 April 1893 and that the 20 000 5/- pieces that were struck in Pretoria and ready for delivery on 19th of January 1893 to the bank must probably all have been double shaft varieties.
What we do not know is if these patrices and matrices were sent to South Africa for the final die punches to be made in Pretoria? Probably not, as we have no proof that punches were manufactured locally and as late as 1900, the dies for the ponde were still imported from Germany (although it is doubtful if any of them reached their destination).
Even a more puzzling question is why the Berlin Mint manufactured these “original dies” from which the master punches were to be made, carrying the date 1892 and not 1893 as the actual production process using the dies probably only occurred much later in 1893? Why not just date them all 1893 from the beginning?
Finally, if modifications to the draw-bar were necessary for the half pond, it means that dies were made for the ½ pond showing a single shaft . If a few sample coins were struck from these, this could explain the existence of the unique single shaft Menne Halfpond.