My World Crown Affair
19th Cent, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek 5 shillings

Owner Comments:

The only crown issued by the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (South African Republic) is dated 1892, during the brief period after the First Boer War to the end of the Second Boer War (1882-1902) when the republic was fully independent from British rule. The obverse features the bust of the President, Paul Kruger and the reverse shows the ZAR coat of arms that includes the image of a Voortrekker wagon, or pioneer ox wagon which has a distinct appearance due to the size of the rear wheels being larger than the front wheels and having a single shaft. The coins were minted in Berlin because the Pretoria mint was still under construction and the initial design depicted a European style double shaft wagon with wheels of the same size. The error was politicized by Kruger's rivals but was quickly corrected resulting in a mintage of 4,327 of the double shaft error and 14,000 of the single shaft.