Transvaal. Republic gold "Fine Beard" Burgers Pond 1874 MS61 NGC, Heaton mint, KM1.2, Fr-1, Hern-B1. Mintage: 695. By Leonard Wyon. Perhaps one of the most storied rarities in the South African series, the nation's first Pond issue which, despite the distaste that it initially sparked among the Boers, has come to be one of the most difficult issues in the series to obtain in any kind of appreciable quality. Sparked by President Thomas François's eagerness to unite the nation behind a new gold coinage exploiting the recently discovered local ore found in Transvaal in 1869, the so-called "Burgers" Pond was commissioned via Ralph Heaton and Sons in Birmingham. As the country had historically been a loose conglomeration of disconnected immigrants using coins from their native countries as well as tokens as currency, the intent behind Burgers' action could hardly be faulted. Yet when the finished coins were presented to the Volksraad, they met with immediate disapproval for featuring the President's own portrait. Coupled with their relatively high purchasing power, the coins were doomed to the status of mementos or souvenir pieces, leading most to be mistreated, well-handled, and used in jewelry. As such, few remain today in anything approaching Mint State. And yet, here we have the present example. Carefully produced and bathed in a gold luster, with only mild wisps over both sides, its features otherwise unmarred by excessive handling or contact, suggesting that the assigned grade may be a bit conservative. Today, fewer than 25 specimens of the issue have been certified in fully uncirculated condition, with the last example that we handled being in 2015. Truly a rare opportunity, and a coin worthy of close in-hand inspection.

HID09801242017

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