THE KRUGER RAND, A COIN THAT CAPTURES IMAGINATION!
The gold Krugerrand is the world’s most widely traded bullion coin, first manufactured on the 3rd of July 1967. Unlike other bullion coins, the gold Krugerrand contains no legal tender value on the face or obverse of the coin, intentionally ensuring that its value is derived exclusively from it’s gold content and weight. It is estimated that more that 50 million gold Krugerrands have been manufactured and sold worldwide to date. It remains the most popular and trusted brand on the gold bullion market.
The gold Krugerrand is 22 karats, or 91.61% pure. The actual weight of the coin is just a little over 1 troy ounce (1.0909 troy ounces or 33.93 grams to be exact). In order to make the coin more durable and resistant to scratches, and additional 2.826 grams of copper is added, making the final weight of the gold Krugerrand 33.93 grams (31.103 grams of gold and 2.862 grams of copper).
Silver-Sphere Trading was granted dealership status by the Rand Refinery in 2017, which means that you can shop with full confidence, knowing that your purchase is indeed a genuine Krugerrand.
THE KRUGERRAND’S HISTORY
The Krugerrand is a South African coin, first minted on 3 July 1967 to help market South African gold and produced by Rand Refinery and the South African Mint. By 1980, the Krugerrand accounted for 90% of the global gold coin market. The name is a compound of Paul Kruger, the first South African president of the Transvaal, depicted on the obverse, and rand, the South African unit of currency. During the 1970s and 1980s, some western countries forbade import of the Krugerrand because of its association with the apartheid government of South Africa, most notably the United States, which was the coin’s largest market in 1985.
Production levels of Krugerrands have significantly varied since its introduction. From 1967 to 1969, around 40,000 coins were minted each year. In 1970, the number rose to over 200,000 coins. More than one million coins were produced in 1974, and in 1978 a total of six million were produced. Production dropped to 23,277 coins in 1998 and then increased again, although not reaching previous levels.
Although Krugerrand coins have no face value, they are considered legal tender in South Africa by the South African Reserve Bank Act (SARBA) of 1989. In 2017, the Rand Refinery began minting silver versions, which have the same overall design as the gold coin.
Kruger was affectionately known as ‘Oom Paul’ (Uncle Paul), one of the highest designations anyone can be given in South Africa. The reverse side of the Krugerrand is a Springbok, South Africa’s national animal. By 1980 the Krugerrand accounted for more than 90% of the global coin market and was the number one choice for investors buying gold. During the economic sanctions against South Africa in the 1980s, Krugerrand sales dropped, but more than 20 million coins were imported into the USA alone.
(Source: Wikipedia)