South African Republic — Gold Veldpond 1902 (ZAR) KM# 11 | NGC AU 55 | Ex-Hammersley Collection
South African Republic — Gold Veldpond 1902 (ZAR) KM# 11 | NGC AU 55 | Ex-Hammersley Collection
South African Republic — Gold Veldpond 1902 (ZAR)
NGC Certified AU 55 • Ex-Hammersley Collection • Mintage: 986 Pieces
One 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.
Catalogue References
- Hern: Z54 — Brian Hern's Handbook on South African Coins and Patterns
- Krause-Mishler: KM# 11 — Standard Catalog of World Coins
- Friedberg: Fr# 4 — Gold Coins of the World
Physical & Grading Attributes
- Country of Origin: South African Republic (Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek — ZAR)
- Denomination: Een Pond (One Pound)
- Year of Minting: 1902
- Composition: Gold (~900–930 Fine; variable due to field conditions)
- Weight: ~8.12g (range: 7.73g–8.51g)
- Obverse: Artistic cursive monogram of the initials “Z.A.R.” with the date “1902” below
- Reverse: Hand-punched mark of value: “EEN POND”
- Certification Body: Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC)
- Certification Number: 6674821-006
- Assigned Grade: AU 55 (About Uncirculated 55)
- Pedigree: Ex-Hammersley Collection
Historical Background: Staatsmunt te Velde
By 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.
In a final act of economic statehood, Acting-President Schalk Burger authorised the creation of a mobile field mint: the Staatsmunt te Velde (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.
The 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.
Scarcity, Grade & Provenance
- Extreme Scarcity: Only 986 coins were reported struck before the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging ended the war in May 1902. Far fewer survive undamaged.
- Hammersley Collection Pedigree: 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.
- AU 55 Eye Appeal: 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.
A genuinely historic object: not merely a coin, but a tangible artefact of a nation's final act of sovereignty.
Availability Notice: This item will be displayed for viewing purposes only and will not be available for purchase until 1st January 2027. Offers and enquiries are welcome from that date. The listing will close to offers on 28th February 2027. To register your interest in advance, please contact us at collectors-galleries@outlook.com or via WhatsApp.