The Scarcity of the Coins of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek
Nortje, Pierre H. (2020)
Book Summary
In a well-known and respected coin catalogue which has been published in South Africa for many years, the 1892 ZAR penny receives a higher catalogue value in the higher grades than both the pennies dated 1893 and 1894.
However, a totally different picture emerges when comparing the grading statistics / population reports.
More than twice the number of 1892 pennies has been graded than those of 1894 and five times more than those dated 1893. In uncirculated (mint state) condition the difference is even more significant with almost 4 times more MS pennies graded for 1892 than those of 1894 and more than 8 times more than the 1893 date. So, the question to be answered:
Why does the 1892 dated penny have a higher catalogue value, in both extremely fine and uncirculated conditions, than both the pennies of
1893 and 1894?
This is illogical and inconsistent and is the motivation for this book – an attempt to provide a rational and structured approach in the valuation of the coins of the ZAR in terms of their rarity.
