Krugerrand with right royal touch
THE South African Mint will mark Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday this month with a limited-edition 22ct Krugerrand.
The London Mint Office, the official distributor for major world mints including South Africa’s, revealed this week that only 260 coins had been issued worldwide, priced at more than R6 300 each.
The solid gold coins bear a unique “QE II 90” mint mark. Her birthday is on April 21.
The UK has planned a series of events over three months including a 90-minute extravaganza with 900 horses and more than 1 500 riders and performers, and a series of street parties.
James Deeny, MD of the London Mint Office, said: “This year marks a very special moment in the history of the gold Krugerrand, one of the world’s most famous gold coins.
“This special edition . . . features a ‘QE II 90’ mint mark, applied at the time of minting. This means this coin will become a ‘one-year type’ — a coin that was only ever minted for one year. This is precisely the type of coin most in demand by collectors.”
The Krugerrand, introduced in 1967, was one of the first gold bullion coins to be produced, and its success inspired many other countries to mint their own gold bullion coins, including the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, the American Gold Eagle and the British Britannia.
Deeny is expecting the coins to be in high demand because of “the extremely low mintage, and the significance of the 90th-birthday edition”.
British channel ITV will host a high tea in Sandton on the queen’s birthday, when its Royal Season shows will be unveiled and a champagne toast be made.