Catalog
2 Shillings - George V
| Issuer | South Africa Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1931-1936 |
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| Engraver(s) | Obverse: Edgar Bertram MacKennal Reverse: George Kruger Gray |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing crowned and draped bust of King George V, wearing the Imperial State Crown and military uniform with decorations, sculpted in high relief after the effigy by Sir Edgar Bertram MacKennal. The circumferential legend reads GEORGIVS V REX IMPERATOR, separated at the truncation by the designer's initials B.M. A fine dentilated border runs along the rim. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
South Africa's florin-sized silver issue of this period was struck under the Currency and Banking Act of 1920, which established the country's first domestic minting authority and severed reliance on Royal Mint branches for everyday coinage. The Pretoria Mint, opened in 1923, gave the Union government direct control over silver output for the first time — a significant administrative shift for a country whose Witwatersrand mines were supplying a substantial portion of the world's silver feedstock.
The .800 fineness was a deliberate step down from sterling, matching contemporary British practice after 1920 and reflecting post-WWI silver economics rather than any local policy preference.