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1 Ounce Groot Trek 150 Years
| Issuer | South African Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1988 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | A finely detailed rendering of the king protea (Protea cynaroides), South Africa's national flower, occupies the central field, depicted in three-quarter view with its characteristic broad flowerhead and encircling bracts rendered in high relief against a mirror-polished background. The engraver's initials 'WL' appear in the lower field beneath the stem. The bilingual legend 'SUID-AFRIKA' arcs along the left periphery and 'SOUTH AFRICA' along the right, with the date '1988' inscribed at the base. The design is the work of engraver William Lumley and exemplifies the refined artistic standard of the South African Mint's Protea series. |
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| Mintage | 1988 - - 20 1988 - Proof - 2,956 |
| Additional information |
The 150th anniversary of the Great Trek fell in 1988 under the full weight of apartheid-era international sanctions, which had effectively locked South Africa out of mainstream numismatic markets. The Groot Trek commemorative was issued by the South African Mint partly to serve collector demand within the country at a time when foreign buyers were increasingly difficult to reach through official channels.
The Trek itself began in 1838, when Boer settlers moved in large numbers out of the British Cape Colony — motivated by disputes over land policy, labor laws following emancipation, and what many Voortrekkers described as the inadequacy of British compensation after the abolition of slavery.