Krugerrand - The oldest bullion coin

Krugerrand is the oldest bullion coin. South Africa topped world gold production by the late 1960s. The Krugerrand was first minted by the South African Mint on 3rd July 1967, at a time when the price of the noble metal was very high. It deviates from the contemporary design of bullion coins.  At that time, the concept of minting a coin with the weight of an investment unit (say, “one ounce”) was new and innovative. It provided small investors who could not afford to purchase the standard 12.44-kilogram gold ingots, an opportunity to purchase small units of gold.  

The Krugerrand coin was initially referred to as a “Trojan” in reference to one Troy ounce (oz) of gold content. The public was then invited to suggest a new name for the one-ounce coin, and Mr. Maré came up with the name Krugerrand, combining President Paul Kruger, and the name of the newly introduced currency rand(introduced in 1961).

Since 1967, the Krugerrand has been South Africa’s legal tender and serves mostly as a tax-free investment, its price determined on the global market with the price of gold fixed on a daily basis. No one had anticipated the runaway success of the Krugerrand gold bullion coin. More than 50 million pieces have been sold in just five decades

The Krugerrand was the first investment coin on sale in Germany and worldwide. It was going strong till 1986.  In 1986, due to the lasting apartheid policy in South Africa, the European Community and the USA boycotted South African products and imposed an import ban of the Krugerrand. This led to the complete crash of the Krugerrand market. Slowly other coins like Gold Maple Leafs, Chinese Pandas, American Gold Eagles started to emerge.

From 1986-1999, the Krugerrand became a Collector’s item only and lost its bullion market, hence its mintages were reduced to a minimum. In 1999, the import ban was lifted on the Krugerrand and the Krugerrand slowly started regaining its popularity in 2000, however, it could not regain its sole monopoly.

In 2017, Krugerrand turned 50. Sapo (South African Post) issued a set of 3 stamps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Krugerrand, the oldest bullion coin to be minted.  The 3 stamps depict the development of the Krugerrand in three stages - 1967 (1st minted), 2000(rise after a fall), and 2017 (50th anniversary). The coin designs are relief embossed onto gold foiling.  The stamp depicted the Springbok antelope, which is the heraldic/national animal of South Africa.

Odd World - Uzbekistan

My Uzbekistan collection of Odd and Unusual stamps/MSs

Circle Stamps

Odd World : Oman

My Oman collection of Odd and Unusual stamps/MSs

Odd shape, embossed and Gold Foil

Odd World - Yemen

My Yemen collection of Odd and Unusual Stamps and MS

Gold foil - Circular Stamp

Odd World - Solomon Islands

My Solomon Islands Odd and Unusual Stamps and MS collection

Circular Stamps : New Zealand

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 was hosted by New Zealand and Australia.  14 teams participated in a month long tournament with 49 matches during the month of February and March.  In this 50 Overs match Australia played against New Zealand in the finals and Australia won by 7 Wickets.

For this spectacular event New Zealand post issued a Miniature sheet on 5th of February, 2015, consists of 14 round shaped (Ball shaped) self adhesive stamps, one for each team that participated in the 2015 World Cup. 

Polyurethane Foot Ball stamp: Austria

On the eve of 2014 FIFA World Cup, what better stamp to share than the 2008 Austrian stamp depicting a football. The stamp is self-adhesive and made of polyurethane.It was released on the occasion of UEFA 2008 Cup. It is a limited edition stamp with less than half-million printed (a small number considering the demand of anything soccer related).

It is unusual to find a corporate name on stamp, and this has one! Adidas has been the official football manufacturer since 1970s. Few people know that this year's World Cup Footbal has a name of it's own. They are called Brazuca - supposed to represent 'Brazilian way of life'.

Gold Stamp: From Swiss Post

Post Ch, the Switzerland Postal Department has issued an Gold Vreneli miniature sheet with circular stamp on 5th September 2013. The value of the sheet is CHF 6 and it comes with authentication certificate.  Because of the complication in making the Gold embossed Stamp they have minted in small numbers targeting philately collectors.

Vreneli is the informal name for a range of legal tender gold coins produced in Switzerland.  These coins had face values of 10, 20 and 100 Swiss francs.