CERTIFIED BY NGC PROOF 70 ULTRA CAMEO
OBV: PORTRAIT BUST OF PRESIDENT "PAUL" KRUGER LEFT.
REV: SPRINGBOK RIGHT DIVIDES DATE.
STEFANUS JOHANNES PAULUS KRUGER (b. 1825, d. 1904), KNOWN WIDELY AS PAUL KRUGER AND BY THE BOER AS "OOM PAUL" OR "UNCLE PAUL", WAS THE FIFTH AND FOUR-TIME PRESIDENT OF THE ZUID-AFRIKAANSCHE REPUBLIEK (SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC or ZAR), WHICH WAS ALSO CALLED THE TRANSVAAL REPUBLIC. THE ZAR WAS A BOER (DESCENDENTS OF DUTCH SETTLERS) RULED REPUBLIC ESTABLISHED IN 1852, AND INDEPENDENT FROM 1856-1887, AND AGAIN FROM 1881-1902. KRUGER WAS PRESIDENT THROUGHOUT THE GOLD PROSPECTING YEARS IN THE WITWATERSRAND HILLS, WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE MINTING OF THE FIRST BOER GOLD AND SILVER CURRENCY, AND WON GREAT RENOWN AS THE LEADER OF BOER RESISTANCE DURING THE SECOND BOER WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN FROM 1899 TO 1902.
IN 1891 THE ZAR ESTABLISHED ITS OWN BANK WHICH LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ZAR COINAGE BASED ON THE BRITISH MODEL, INCLUDING THE 5 SHILLINGS PEIECE. PRESIDENT KRUGER DECIDED TO PUSH AHEAD THE RELEASE OF THE COINAGE FOR 1892, WHICH BORE HIS IMAGE, TO HELP INCREASE HIS POPULARITY IN HIS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN. THE COINS WERE MINTED IN BERLIN, GERMANY. THE GERMAN MINT MADE AN ERROR THAT KRUGER'S OPPOSITION USED AGAINST HIM. THE GERMANS HAD PICTURED A CONTINENTAL WAGON ON THE ARMS ON THE REVERSE INSTEAD OF THE BOER VOORTREKKER WAGON WHICH HAD DIFFERENT SIZED FRONT AND BACK WHEELS AND A SINGLE SHAFT FOR CATTLE. ALSO, TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE BUST OF PRESIDENT PAUL KRUGER ON THE OBVERSE BY ENGRAVER OTTO SCHULTZ BORE THE ARTIST ENGRAVER'S INITIALS UNDERNEATH. THE LETTERS "OS", WHICH IN BOER MEANS "OX", AND THE PRESIDENT WAS DUBBED "DUMB OX KRUGER". KRUGER HAD THE "OS" REMOVED, THE WAGONS ALTERED ON THE NEW COIN DIES AND SHULTZ'S INITIALS WERE NOT FEATURED ON THE KRUGERRAND.
THE KRUGERRAND GETS ITS NAME BY COMBINING THE NAME OF PAUL KRUGER WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN RAND CURRENCY, ITSELF NAMED FOR THE WITWATERSRAND GOLD DEPOSITS DISCOVERED IN 1852. THE KRUGERRAND, FIRST MINTED IN 1967, WAS INTRODUCED TO HELP TO MARKET SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD AND PROMOTE PRIVATE OWNERSHIP, AND BY 1980 HELD 90% OF THE WORLD GOLD COIN MARKET. ALTHOUGH A BULLION COIN, THE KRUGERRAND WAS GIVEN LEGAL TENDER STATUS. THE KRUGERRAND, STILL POPULAR WITH COLLECTORS, WAS A FORBIDDEN IMPORT TO CERTAIN NATIONS DURING THE 1970's AND 80's DUE TO THE APARTHEID WHITE MINORITY GOVERNMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA. ALL SANCTIONS WERE LIFTED AFTER THE END OF APARTHEID IN 1994.
PROOF KRUGERRANDS HAVE 220 SERRATIONS ON THE EDGE AS OPPOSED TO THE NORMAL 160 AND WERE PRODUCED AS LIMITED EDITIONS.
THE SPRINGBOK (ANTIDORCAS MARSUPIALIS), THE ANIMAL FEATURED ON THE REVERSE OF THE KRUGERRAND, IS A MEDIUM SIZED SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERN AFRICAN ANTELOPE. THEY AVERAGE IN HEIGHT FROM 70 TO 90 CENTIMETERS, AND ARE VERY FAST, REACHING SPEEDS OF 100 KILOMETERS PER HOUR. THEY CAN JUMP UP TO 4 METERS HIGH AND CAN LEAP A DISTANCE OF 15 METERS. A PLETIFUL SPECIES, WITH NUMBERS RANGING UPWARDS OF 2.5 MILLION IN SOUTH AFRICA, MAKING IT THE MOST COMMON ANTELOPE. THE SPRINGBOK WAS THE ANIMAL SYMBOL OF SOUTH AFRICA UNDER APARTHEID AND EARLIER.
CONTAINS 33.93 GRAMS OF .917 FINE GOLD (1.000 OZ AGW)
32.77 MM IN DIAMETER
MINTAGE OF 700!
