1 Shilling - George V Suid Afrika

South Africa's coinage in this period was produced at the Pretoria Mint, which had opened in 1923 specifically to serve the Union's growing economy and reduce dependence on Royal Mint branches. The .800 silver standard used here was a deliberate departure from the .925 sterling specification of contemporary British coinage — a politically loaded decision for a dominion still negotiating the boundaries of its autonomy under the Statute of Westminster, passed just months before this series began striking in 1931.

The KM#17.3 designation distinguishes this from earlier shilling types by the addition of "SUID AFRIKA" to the reverse legend, mandated by legislation requiring bilingual Afrikaans-English inscription on all Union coinage from 1931 onward.