Krugerrand History

The 1 Ounce Krugerrand history begins not on July 3rd, 1967 when it was first struck- not even in planning and strategy meetings held by the Chamber of Mines of South Africa (established in 1889 as a voluntary private sector organization to represent the interests of mining employers) who were its architects.

The Krugerrand history begins in the hills of Witwatersrand, South Africa. The “ridge of white waters” is a series of east/west running ridges that are over 60 miles in length. In 1884 gold was discovered, and the mining camp at Johannesburg has since grown into a thriving metropolis. At the time, Paul Kruger was president of the Transvaal. In his memoirs he noted that General Joubert correctly predicted the gold discovery will “cause our land to be soaked in blood.” The gold discovery led to a huge influx of foreigners looking to make their fortune in gold. Eventually the high number of foreigners and concern for their rights led to conflict. The conflict was multifaceted, with some underlying motivation for the British empire to control this valuable commodity.

In 1899, the British government demanded Uitlander (foreigner) rights to match those of the Boers. Realizing that the British wanted more than equal rights (Transvaal independence was at stake), Paul Kruger responded that all of the British should leave within 48 hours. This was an impasse which could not be broken via diplomatic means, and the second Boer War ranged across the country. The Boers fought hard and were able to demand some concessions at the war’s end in 1902, but the Transvaal independence was lost.

The next step on the golden road of Krugerrand history is the establishment of the Rand Refinery, which supplies the blanks for every Krugerrand stamped. The Rand Refinery (est. 1920) was created by the Transvaal Chamber of Mines to refine all gold mined in South Africa; and immediately began to refine gold ore for one the worlds most prolific gold producing regions, Witwatersrand.

The One oz Krugerrand takes its name from a combination of Paul Kruger’s surname, and the Rand, which is the currency of South Africa (the Rand was taken from Witwatersrand). The obverse of the 1 oz Krugerrand has a portrait of Paul Kruger, designed by Otto Schultz. Coert Steynberg designed the reverse, which is a Springbok antelope, a national symbol of South Africa.

With Executive Order 6102 and the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, United States citizens were effectively barred from owning gold bullion. In 1967 the Chamber of Mines of South Africa had a clever plan for their fledgling 1 Ounce Gold Krugerrand. By declaring the coin legal tender of South Africa, it was classified as “foreign coin”, and US citizens could buy it. They also had another trick up their sleeve, instead of putting a value on it- they put the weight of the gold bullion on the coin. This allowed a quick and easy method to trade gold bullion without the need to melt and assay its gold content. This also tied the value of the Krugerrand directly to the underlying gold value. It’s interesting to note that Krugerrands are not 24 carat gold- they are alloyed with copper which gives them their dark golden color and adds strength. Rest assured however, that they do contain one full ounce of gold bullion. Until apartheid was abolished in the middle of the 1990s, it was still illegal to import Krugers in western countries. In spite of this the Kruger was still a commercial success. Forty-six million ounces later, it is remains the world’s most popular bullion investment coin. The 1 Ounce Krugerrand history leads from the rolling hills to the highest political offices, and beyond.