Owner Comments:
Joint Finest Known PFUC! (1/13)
Total Graded: 100
Mintage: 15,000
This commemorative One Rand silver coin was issued in 1974 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the South African Mint the year before.
In 1910, the separate provinces of Transvaal, Orange Free State, Natal and the Cape Colony were brought together to form the Union of South Africa as a Dominion of the British Empire. The Mint Act of 1919 served to establish a branch of the Royal Mint in the city of Pretoria, and this mint began producing the Imperial gold pound (sovereign) in 1923. In July of 1941, however, ties between South Africa and the Royal Mint were severed, and the mint became known as the South African Mint thereafter.
Obverse
The obverse of the coin displays the Coat of Arms of South Africa at its centre, as granted to the Union of South Africa by King George V and later amended by the British College of Arms. It contains representation of the four provinces within the Union.
The Coat of Arms features a shield quartered, each quarter a symbol of one of the four provinces of South Africa. An ox wagon represents Transvaal Province, a woman with an anchor represents Cape Province, two wildebeests represent Natal Province and an orange tree represents the Orange Free State Province. The crest of the arms features a lion holding four bound sticks. The supporters are a springbok and a gemsbok. Below the arms, the Latin motto, EX UNITATE VIRES (translated at first as "Union Is Strength", but from 1961 translated as "Unity Is Strength").
Below that on the right side, the designer's initials, T.S. (for Tommy Sasseen).
Around left, the name of the country in Afrikaans: SUID-AFRIKA; around right, the name in English: SOUTH AFRICA.
Below, the date of issue: * 1974 *.
Reverse
The reverse shows the entrance to the building of the mint in a central circle. Surrounding the circle, five sectors displaying four historic coin designs, and the coin value. Clockwise from the lower left:
- the ship from the pre-decimal half penny and penny reverse
- the two Cape sparrow birds from the bronze half cent and bronze one cent coins, and the anniversary date 1923
- the Protea flower from the pre-decimal three pence and sixpence and the two and a half cents and the silver five cents coins, and the anniversary date 1973
- the flowers from the nickel fifty cents coin
- the value and denomination 1 R (One Rand) and the designer's initials, T.S. (for Tommy Sasseen).