Sobhuza II was 75 in 1974, having ascended as an infant in 1899 under a British regency that lasted until Swazi independence in 1968 — making his reign, by the time of his death in 1982, the longest verified of any monarch in recorded history. This piece is a reverse trial, meaning it was struck to test and approve the die design before authorizing full production runs, and such pieces rarely escaped the mint in quantity.
Sobhuza II was 75 in 1974, having ascended as an infant in 1899 under a British regency that lasted until Swazi independence in 1968 — making his reign, by the time of his death in 1982, the longest verified of any monarch in recorded history. This piece is a reverse trial, meaning it was struck to test and approve the die design before authorizing full production runs, and such pieces rarely escaped the mint in quantity.