Krugerrand History
On July 3rd, 1967 the first One oz Gold Krugerrand rolled through the presses in the South African Mint. This was not the beginning of the Krugerrand, however- nor were the careful planning meetings of the Chamber of Mines of South Africa (who interestingly enough can trace its roots back to 1889) which lead to its creation.
In 1884, gold was found in the "ridge of white waters" (in Afrikaans Witwatersrand), South Africa. General Joubert remarked that the gold find will "cause our land to be soaked in blood." In this blood and conflict begins the Gold Krugerrand history. Paul Kruger was the President of the Transvaal at this time, and he was very concerned with the influx of gold hungry foreigners who flocked to the sixty mile range of east/west running hills of Witwatersrand. Johannesburg sprang up first as a shanty town, and then eventually became a thriving city. As more foreign miners arrived- they began to want a say on how things were done- for example tax rates and where the taxes were spent. The Boers were concerned about losing their independence - rightly so, as the British empire was eyeing the rich gold find. The seeds of conflict were sown.
In 1899, the British government demanded Uitlander (foreigner) rights to match those of the Boers. Realizing that the British wanted more than equal rights (Transvaal independence was at stake), Paul Kruger responded that all of the British should leave within 48 hours. This was an impasse which could not be broken via diplomatic means, and the second Boer War ranged across the country. The Boers fought hard and were able to demand some concessions at the war's end in 1902, but the Transvaal independence was lost.
The next step on the golden road of Krugerrand history is the establishment of the Rand Refinery, which supplies the blanks for every Gold Krugerrand stamped. The Rand Refinery (est. 1920) was created by the Transvaal Chamber of Mines to refine all gold mined in South Africa; and immediately began to refine gold ore for one the worlds most prolific gold producing regions, Witwatersrand.
A shiny new One Ounce Gold Krugerrand is a product of its history. The obverse side has a portrait of Paul Kruger, painstakingly designed by Otto Shultz. Kruger also lends his name to the coin, along with Witwatersrand, which was shortened to "rand"; which also happens to be the national currency of South Africa. The finishing touch is the delicate Springbok antelope on the reverse- to symbolize South Africa.
With Executive Order 6102 and the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, United States citizens were effectively barred from owning gold bullion. In 1967 the Chamber of Mines of South Africa had a clever plan for their fledgling One Ounce Krugerrand. By declaring the coin legal tender of South Africa, it was classified as "foreign coin", and US citizens could buy it. They also had another trick up their sleeve, instead of putting a value on it- they put the weight of the gold bullion on the coin. This allowed a quick and easy method to trade gold bullion without the need to melt and assay its gold content. This also tied the value of the Krugerrand directly to the underlying gold value. It's interesting to note that Krugerrands are not 24 carat gold- they are alloyed with copper which gives them their dark golden color and adds strength. Rest assured however, that they do contain one full ounce of gold bullion. Until apartheid was abolished in the middle of the 1990s, it was still illegal to import Krugers in western countries. In spite of this the Kruger was still a commercial success. Forty-six million ounces later, it is remains the world's most popular bullion investment coin. The 1 Ounce Gold Krugerrand history leads from the rolling hills to the highest political offices, and beyond. - 23229
In 1884, gold was found in the "ridge of white waters" (in Afrikaans Witwatersrand), South Africa. General Joubert remarked that the gold find will "cause our land to be soaked in blood." In this blood and conflict begins the Gold Krugerrand history. Paul Kruger was the President of the Transvaal at this time, and he was very concerned with the influx of gold hungry foreigners who flocked to the sixty mile range of east/west running hills of Witwatersrand. Johannesburg sprang up first as a shanty town, and then eventually became a thriving city. As more foreign miners arrived- they began to want a say on how things were done- for example tax rates and where the taxes were spent. The Boers were concerned about losing their independence - rightly so, as the British empire was eyeing the rich gold find. The seeds of conflict were sown.
In 1899, the British government demanded Uitlander (foreigner) rights to match those of the Boers. Realizing that the British wanted more than equal rights (Transvaal independence was at stake), Paul Kruger responded that all of the British should leave within 48 hours. This was an impasse which could not be broken via diplomatic means, and the second Boer War ranged across the country. The Boers fought hard and were able to demand some concessions at the war's end in 1902, but the Transvaal independence was lost.
The next step on the golden road of Krugerrand history is the establishment of the Rand Refinery, which supplies the blanks for every Gold Krugerrand stamped. The Rand Refinery (est. 1920) was created by the Transvaal Chamber of Mines to refine all gold mined in South Africa; and immediately began to refine gold ore for one the worlds most prolific gold producing regions, Witwatersrand.
A shiny new One Ounce Gold Krugerrand is a product of its history. The obverse side has a portrait of Paul Kruger, painstakingly designed by Otto Shultz. Kruger also lends his name to the coin, along with Witwatersrand, which was shortened to "rand"; which also happens to be the national currency of South Africa. The finishing touch is the delicate Springbok antelope on the reverse- to symbolize South Africa.
With Executive Order 6102 and the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, United States citizens were effectively barred from owning gold bullion. In 1967 the Chamber of Mines of South Africa had a clever plan for their fledgling One Ounce Krugerrand. By declaring the coin legal tender of South Africa, it was classified as "foreign coin", and US citizens could buy it. They also had another trick up their sleeve, instead of putting a value on it- they put the weight of the gold bullion on the coin. This allowed a quick and easy method to trade gold bullion without the need to melt and assay its gold content. This also tied the value of the Krugerrand directly to the underlying gold value. It's interesting to note that Krugerrands are not 24 carat gold- they are alloyed with copper which gives them their dark golden color and adds strength. Rest assured however, that they do contain one full ounce of gold bullion. Until apartheid was abolished in the middle of the 1990s, it was still illegal to import Krugers in western countries. In spite of this the Kruger was still a commercial success. Forty-six million ounces later, it is remains the world's most popular bullion investment coin. The 1 Ounce Gold Krugerrand history leads from the rolling hills to the highest political offices, and beyond. - 23229
posted by X - Men @ 4:27 AM
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