1902 Veldpond
In the final, desperate months of the Anglo-Boer War, an independent republic on the run struck its final defiance in pure gold. This June, one of the finest surviving specimens of the legendary 1902 Veldpond goes to auction.
The 1902 Veldpond occupies a unique, almost mythical place in South African numismatics. More than simply an incredibly rare gold coin, it represents the final monetary expression of an independent Boer republic before it was swallowed by the British Empire. Now, an exceptional example of this legendary emergency currency is set to headline Bassani's Signature Auction 26 on Sunday, 28 June 2026. Graded MS63 (mint state 63), the coin is expected to fetch well in excess of R400,000 (£17,000), serving as a crucial market indicator for elite South African rarities this year.
By the turn of 1902, the Anglo-Boer War had entered its brutal final phase. Pretoria had fallen to British forces, the formal Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) Mint had ceased operations, and the government of President Paul Kruger had been forced into exile.
Yet, determined to preserve the symbols of their statehood, the Boer leadership refused to surrender their economic sovereignty. In the remote goldfields of Pilgrim's Rest, the Boers established a makeshift field mint (Staatsmunt te Velde). It was here, under severe wartime conditions, that locally sourced gold was melted down and struck into emergency coinage.
