{"title":"Featured","description":"\u003cp\u003eA hand-picked selection of featured items from the Collectors Galleries private collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"south-african-republic-gold-veldpond-1902-zar-km-11-ngc-au-55-ex-hammersley-collection","title":"South African Republic — Gold Veldpond 1902 (ZAR) KM# 11 | NGC AU 55 | Ex-Hammersley Collection","description":"\u003ch2\u003eSouth African Republic — Gold Veldpond 1902 (ZAR)\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNGC Certified AU 55 • Ex-Hammersley Collection • Mintage: 986 Pieces\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the most storied emergency coinages in numismatic history — struck in the field during the final desperate months of the Second Anglo-Boer War, certified AU 55 by the Numismatic Guaranty Company, and bearing the prestigious pedigree of the Hammersley Collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCatalogue References\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHern:\u003c\/strong\u003e Z54 — \u003cem\u003eBrian Hern's Handbook on South African Coins and Patterns\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eKrause-Mishler:\u003c\/strong\u003e KM# 11 — \u003cem\u003eStandard Catalog of World Coins\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFriedberg:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fr# 4 — \u003cem\u003eGold Coins of the World\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePhysical \u0026amp; Grading Attributes\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCountry of Origin:\u003c\/strong\u003e South African Republic (Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek — ZAR)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDenomination:\u003c\/strong\u003e Een Pond (One Pound)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYear of Minting:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1902\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gold (~900–930 Fine; variable due to field conditions)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e ~8.12g (range: 7.73g–8.51g)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eObverse:\u003c\/strong\u003e Artistic cursive monogram of the initials “Z.A.R.” with the date “1902” below\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReverse:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hand-punched mark of value: “EEN POND”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertification Body:\u003c\/strong\u003e Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCertification Number:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6674821-006\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAssigned Grade:\u003c\/strong\u003e AU 55 (About Uncirculated 55)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePedigree:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ex-Hammersley Collection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHistorical Background: \u003cem\u003eStaatsmunt te Velde\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy early 1902, the Second Anglo-Boer War had ground down to a brutal guerrilla phase. British forces had captured Pretoria and seized the official state mint, forcing the ZAR government into exile. Boer commandos operating in the wilderness — the veld — were running critically short of hard currency. Local merchants and indigenous populations adamantly refused paper notes, demanding payment only in gold.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a final act of economic statehood, Acting-President Schalk Burger authorised the creation of a mobile field mint: the \u003cem\u003eStaatsmunt te Velde\u003c\/em\u003e (State Mint in the Field). Operating from an abandoned mining workshop in the remote mountains of Pilgrim's Rest, former schoolmaster P.J. Kloppers was appointed Mint Master. Using crude farm machinery, hand-chiseled dies, and basic chemical resources, Kloppers and his team melted raw gold nuggets and alluvial gold bars into planchets, each coin struck individually by hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result was a coinage utterly unlike any other — characterised by high rims, slightly concave surfaces, and beautifully primitive hand-punched lettering. Each surviving Veldpond is completely unique.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eScarcity, Grade \u0026amp; Provenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eExtreme Scarcity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Only 986 coins were reported struck before the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging ended the war in May 1902. Far fewer survive undamaged.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHammersley Collection Pedigree:\u003c\/strong\u003e This specimen bears the Hammersley Collection label directly on its NGC slab — a collection widely renowned among elite numismatists for its focus on premier historic gold rarities, sold in London in 2025.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAU 55 Eye Appeal:\u003c\/strong\u003e For an emergency wartime issue struck in a literal field workshop, AU 55 represents a remarkable state of preservation. The coin retains bold structural features, strong chiseled monograms, highly defined borders, and minimal evidence of handling. The finest known examples reach MS 65 — placing this specimen firmly in trophy-grade territory for the advanced collector.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA genuinely historic object: not merely a coin, but a tangible artefact of a nation's final act of sovereignty.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability Notice:\u003c\/strong\u003e This item will be displayed for viewing purposes only and will not be available for purchase until \u003cstrong\u003e1st January 2027\u003c\/strong\u003e. Offers and enquiries are welcome from that date. The listing will close to offers on \u003cstrong\u003e28th February 2027\u003c\/strong\u003e. To register your interest in advance, please contact us at \u003ca href=\"mailto:collectors-galleries@outlook.com\"\u003ecollectors-galleries@outlook.com\u003c\/a\u003e or via WhatsApp.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Collectors Galleries","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307584008497,"sku":"ZAR-1902-VELDPOND-NGC-AU55","price":10000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1007\/8499\/6657\/files\/ZAR_1902_1_NGC55_1.0_e2dbf248-01c2-45fe-a199-721e710b5d63.png?v=1789604144"}],"url":"https:\/\/collectors-galleries.net\/collections\/featured.oembed","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}