1 Luhlanga - Sobhuza II Pattern, Independence

Swaziland gained independence from Britain on September 6, 1968, and these pattern pieces were struck in anticipation of a decimal coinage system that would replace the South African rand then circulating in the territory. The lilangeni series was not actually introduced into circulation until 1974, leaving a six-year gap during which the rand remained legal tender and these early patterns sat unreleased.

Silver specimens from this 1968 issue are exceedingly rare precisely because they never progressed beyond the pattern stage in that metal.