The Mystery of the Proof Coins of Rhodesia
Pierre H. Nortje (January 2026)
First year of issue (1932) proof set of Southern Rhodesia: Source: London Coins and Sovereign Rarities.
An article entitled Proof Coins or Not? - That is the Question, by Glynn Tunley of the Natal Numismatic Society, was published in Journal number 3 of the South African Association of Numismatic Societies in 1990.
Tunley starts his article by saying …
“Being an avid collector of Rhodesian coins, I have always been mystified by the appearance of so-called proof coins of Rhodesia listed in not only leading world coin catalogues but also advertised as such by world known dealers. Mystified because to my mind the existence of many of the so-called proof coins is completely unsubstantiated.”
He says that after liaison with senior personnel of the Reserve Bank, they have (only) authenticated the existence of the following proof coin sets.
Tunley said that there is no argument about these proof coins (listed above), but then provides a list of others that are quoted in world catalogues as proof issues with whom he disagreed.
The author then continues with a lot of questions regarding these “so-called proofs” Here are a few examples from his article.
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In 1938, only 3 coins were minted. These were the ½d, 1d and 2/6 pieces. Why should a proof ½d be minted and not the other two coins?
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In 1947, 6 coins were minted, being the 1d, 3d, 6d, 1/-, 2/- and 2/6. Why mint a proof 6d and not the others?
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In 1968, only the 3d piece was minted. Again, there is no reason for a proof issue of this one coin.
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In 1973, only 2 coins were minted, and these were the 1c and 5c pieces. What reason could there be for making them proof issues?
He says that all these coins listed as proof coins, and which he has labelled "so-called" proof coins, are in fact nothing more than the first coins struck from the dies made for the coins meant for general circulation...
“In the case of these so-called proof coins I am not disputing the fact that these coins grade at Brilliant Uncirculated and, indeed, are proof-like, but they are not genuine proof coins as they were unlikely to have been struck from specially prepared dies. How is it then that these so-called proofs have surfaced as proof coins”?
He concludes…
“My suggestion is that people who have had such proof-like coins have created this artificial market without seeking to justify the existence of such a proof coin. ‘Proof-like’ can never be proof, no matter how hard one would like to justify such a grading, unless that coin was struck from a specially prepared die”.
What do the catalogues say?
The proof coins that John Keogh lists (see above) are in sets, but in his catalogue he also lists the following proof coins: -
Keogh further mentions, “A word of warning however regarding the ‘proof’ issues 1968-1977. Officially no proof coins were struck. A number of proof quality coins have found their way into the market and we are lead to believe that the reported low mintages are incorrect and caution should be exercised when buying these coins at premium prices”.
To confuse matters even more, if one looks at a more recent catalogue (than those mentioned above), e.g., the 2007 Standard Catalogue of World Coins, several Rhodesian coins in proof condition, not mentioned in the older catalogues, are listed, e.g., shillings, 2- shillings, and half-crowns of 1947, 1949, and 1950. It would seem that there is utter confusion in the coin catalogues regarding exactly what Rhodesian coins were struck in proof condition. This is truly a mystery, as, for instance, virtually all coin catalogues would agree on the proof coins (and their numbers) of South African coins struck since 1923. As a matter of interest, Rhodesian coins were struck at the Royal Mint in London since 1932 and from 1964 at the South African Mint in Pretoria.
What does the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) say?
The Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) is an international third-party coin grading and certification service based in Sarasota, Florida, in the United States of America. It has certified more than 60 million coins, including 6217 Rhodesian coins. NGC certification consists of authentication, grading, attribution, and encapsulation.
Source: Wasserthal Rare Coins
The company has graded the following Rhodesian proof coins: -
Some comments
It is almost unbelievable that the Bickels' Rhodesian Numistat for 1967/68 was only aware of proof coins struck in the years 1932, 1937, 1954 (crown), 1955, 1964, and the gold issues of 1966. In reality, if one looks at the NGC population reports, some proof coins were actually struck (up to 1966) in 1932, 1934, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1964, and 1966.
The long introduction to the publication was written by S.E. Edwards, a collector of Rhodesian coins who acknowledged the inputs and advice of several experts on the coins of Rhodesia. These include Mr. Dick Myerscough and Mr. Adrian Stander of the Rhodesian Numismatic Society and Mr. C. Wilmot of the South African Numismatic Society. How could these experts have been only aware of six of the twenty-one years in which Rhodesian proof coins were struck up till then?
In a similar vein, how could an expert like John Keogh, who has written at least two books on the coins of Rhodesia up to 1980, have been unaware of any proof coins struck after 1970 when we now know that some issues have been graded for 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976 and 1977?
The only answer we can think of is that, in those days, most numismatists based their knowledge on official documents and reports - that which was not recorded by the authorities simply did not exist.
Another difficult question, similar to those asked by Glynn Tunley in 1990, is why, in certain years, only a single proof coin (that we know of) was struck. Take, for instance, the unique proof shilling of 1940 certified by NGC: one could argue that it may not be a proof but actually a brilliant uncirculated specimen. However, we very much doubt that, as not only has it been certified by NGC as a proof, it is also certified as PFCA - meaning it has a cameo appearance - something that is virtually impossible if the dies and blank have not been specially prepared and polished for proof-quality striking. Another example would be the year 1946, in which also only one proof coin is certified by NGC (a sixpence), again receiving a PFCA grade.
Source: Heritage Auctions
What was the reason coins like these were struck? We simply do not know, the true reason remaining a total mystery.
Postscript
About 10 years ago, large numbers of the Rhodesian ½c, 1c, and 2½c pieces in proof condition from the 1970s came on the market. Although these issues were always regarded as very scarce, the NGC population reports show, for example, the following grading figures: - 1970 ½c (39 proofs certified), 1972 1c (25 proofs certified), 1975 1c (28 proofs certified), and 1970 2½c (36 proofs certified). Numista records that only twelve 1970 2½c proof pieces were struck, but this is clearly incorrect.
Source: Heritage Auctions
Where did these coins come from? It seems that the answer in this case is not much of a mystery.
The following story was told to a Gauteng coin dealer by the numismatist Brian Hern:
Many years ago, a high-ranking official at the South African Mint had a large number of Rhodesian proofs illegally struck and conspired with his son-in-law to have them sold on a 50/50 basis. The two apparently had a fallout, and when the son-in-law later got sick and was assisted by his neighbour, he gave him two trunks full of coins out of gratitude. Many Rhodesian proofs were included in this hoard, along with proofs of Swaziland and other issues. The coins that came onto the market about 10 years ago originated from this collection. The surnames of both the Mint official and his son-in-law are known to the author.