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Ron Guth - February 21, 2005
When buying a dog, particularly a champion, one of the most important considerations is its pedigree. The bloodline of a pedigree proves a dog's ancestry and allows the prospective purchaser to confirm that the parents are also champions. A good pedigree certifies the value of a champion. A bad pedigree means the dog is, well, just a dog.
Similarly, in the coin world, pedigrees certify the value of a champion. A pedigree to a "name" collection can add a lot of value. Names like Maris, Spiro, Roper, Taylor, Norweb, Ford, and Garrett are important to collectors of colonial coins. U.S. coin collectors find tie-ins to the Eliasberg, Newcomer, Col. Green, and King Farouk collections especially attractive. Pedigrees from the Bass and Eliasberg collection are valuable to collectors of gold coins. Pattern collectors seek out coins from the Byron Reed, Garrett, and Bass collections. And, the list goes on.
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Great (S African numismatic) investments of the future - July 2005
by Scott Balson
 JOHANNESBURG - The historic "Single 9" coin, the only example of a 19th Century Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) coin, was sold for the princely sum of Rand (R)9,8 million in Johannesburg in September 2001.
The 1899 ZAR coinage dies were intercepted by the British in Lourenço Marques and never arrived in Pretoria - preventing the minting of gold coins dated that year.
The Mint Master in Pretoria was then instructed to overstamp the second "8" in the mint date on 130 coins from 1898. However, when the first coin was overstamped it was realised that the punch was too big, and the rest of the coins were then overstamped using a smaller punch.
The coin stamped with the bigger punch went on to become the infamous "Single 9" coin. It's validity is underwritten by a letter from the Mint Master which refers to the use of the inappropriate punch. It was later handed over to Mr C E Macrum, the then-American consul in Pretoria, and has since changed hands several times.
The coin was owned by the likes of King Farouk of Egypt, and in 1958 was auctioned for about R2 000 to a Dr Fröhlich of Port Elizabeth.
A Dr Fourie then bought it on auction for R4000 and sold it to Jan Kraay for R132000. He in turn sold it in 1998 through brokers Walter Fivaz to an anonymous buyer for R4.65m (about US$1 million at that time).
At the most recent auction, also through Walter Fivaz, the coin was sold to another anonymous buyer.
According to experts this coin is today worth about US$3 million or about R20 million.
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 Great (S African numismatic) investments of the future - July 2005
by Scott Balson
Facing an upcoming election and wanting the new coins in circulation to enhance his prestige, President Kruger didn't wait for the Pretoria Mint to be completed. Instead, he contracted to have the first issue of the new ZAR coins (dated 1892) struck at the Imperial German Mint in Berlin. This proved a mistake, as the dies were cut with two glaring mistakes that insulted the populance and proved quite embarrasing to Kruger and the National Bank. Designer Otto Schultz, following a common practice, placed the initials 'OS' at the truncation of Kruger's bust (image right).
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