Republic gold "Veld" Pond 1902 MS64 NGC, Pilgrims Rest mint, KM11, Fr-4, Hern-Z54. Struck during the Second Boer War by Boer forces on the run from the British, set up in the veld (long grass) of Pilgrims Rest in northeastern Transvaal, this sensational example expresses a level of preservation that is only rarely seen for this already very scarce issue, combining this feature with a family pedigree that is intimately connected to the events surrounding the striking of this very coin. The consignor's great grandfather served as an engineer on the mines in Pilgrims Rest prior to the Second Boer War (1899-1902). As an Englishman working deeply within Boer territory he was forced to flee upon the outbreak of the war, seeking refuge in Mozambique with his wife and son. During his escape he traveled through the brush on horseback with his family, including through what is now Kruger National Park, concealing his money in milk tins that were supposedly for the baby. Having survived the war he returned to Pilgrims Rest in 1902, where he stayed as a resident engineer until 1908. It was during this period that he acquired the present example only a short time after it was struck, still within living and recent memory of the devastation and destruction which the war had brought. This very nearly gem example has clearly been lovingly cared for since its production, held within the same family for over 100 years and through four successive generations. Lustrous and brilliant, the surfaces show fine traces of die polish that gently grip the obverse "ZAR" inscription, not a single stray mark of importance to detract from the superior visual appeal displayed across both the obverse and reverse faces. It is with both honor and great enjoyment that we present this important artifact of the period, closely linked to both South African history and one family's part therein.

HID09801242017

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