South Africa's shift to .800 silver for this type in 1923 — down from the .925 standard used in the preceding Union coinage — reflected a deliberate policy decision to align local subsidiary silver with contemporary British practice, which had already debased its own silver coinage under the 1920 Coinage Act. The Pretoria Mint, which had only opened in 1923, struck these as among its first issues, making this short run a product of both a new monetary policy and a brand-new facility finding its feet simultaneously.
South Africa's shift to .800 silver for this type in 1923 — down from the .925 standard used in the preceding Union coinage — reflected a deliberate policy decision to align local subsidiary silver with contemporary British practice, which had already debased its own silver coinage under the 1920 Coinage Act. The Pretoria Mint, which had only opened in 1923, struck these as among its first issues, making this short run a product of both a new monetary policy and a brand-new facility finding its feet simultaneously.