With the discovery of gold in the Gauteng area (Johannesburg) in 1886, President Paul Kruger soon realized that the Zuid Afrikaansche Republik (ZAR), as South Africa was then called, needed its own coins. The Volksraad granted a concession to a consortium of Dutch, German and British investors in 1890 to establish the National Bank of the ZAR, which also obtained permission to operate a mint. The coins were based on the British sizes and denominations and the first pounds and half pounds were struck by the Berlin Imperial Mint in 1892 to have them available for the forthcoming presidential election.

The State Mint and Bank was built on the northwesterly corner of Church Square in Pretoria and was officially opened on 6 July 1892. The original corner stone can still be seen there today. Although the first coins bear the date "1892", they were in fact not struck until 1893.

When the British forces occupied Pretoria in 1900, the mint was closed. The Boers used the one pound gold blanks that were in storage for payment of State expenditure. After the Anglo Boer War, the British currency became legal tender in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State and was the accepted currency in South Africa when the four provinces became the Union of South African in 1910.

There was a strong feeling amongst the mining and banking community that South Africa should have its own refinery and mint. This would negate the need to send South African gold overseas and to import coinage. After many requests, dating back as far as 1902, the Pretoria Mint Act of 1919 provided for the establishment of a Royal Mint branch in Pretoria. The Royal Mint Pretoria, corner of Visagie and Bosman Streets, was established when Prince Arthur of Coinnnaught struck the first gold pound on 3 October 1923.

An increased demand for circulation coins forced the Government to upgrade the historical site at 103 Visagie Street in Pretoria. A new building was erected on the same site and was opened on 22 November 1978.

During the eighties, the Government initiated the deregulation of State activities and the South African Mint was privatised, with the SA Reserve Bank as the holding company. The South African Mint Company (Pty) Ltd was established on 1 September 1988 as a full subsidiary of the SA Reserve Bank.

It was clear that the mint in Visagie Street would be inadequate to meet the future demand for coinage. As the premises did not lend themselves to further expansion, the decision was taken to relocate the mint. The new mint at Gateway, Centurion was completed in October 1990 and officially opened during October 1992.

South African Mint
Old Johannesburg Road
Gateway, Centurion
South Africa

Tel. +27 12 677 2777
Fax +27 12 677 2698
Web www.samint.co.za

See also: Mint