South Africa Mint/Proof Set Question

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by stldanceartist, Jul 1, 2021.

  1. stldanceartist

    stldanceartist Minister of Silly Walks

    Hello all,

    Just bought a huge box of mixed world mint/proof sets, and I'm having some difficulty figuring out what some of them are exactly.

    I've got a run of Mint Sets from South Africa (1977-1987) that look like business strike coins - they're housed in what looks like a PVC plastic sleeve.

    I've also got a run of what look like Proof Sets (also from South Africa) from 1987-1993...except I can't find an exact match in the Krause catalog. (My sets are all housed in plastic blister packs, not the felt-lined cases.)

    For some years, the Krause catalog lists only an 8-coin Proof Set (like 1987, 1988, 1989) - but no 7-coin set. They do list a Mint Set with 7 coins...but these coins definitely look like proof strikes.

    What the heck do I have here?

    The sets in question (7-coin sets) are on the left; the 8-coin sets that also look like proofs (1990-1993) are on the right.

    IMG_7356.jpg
     
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  3. stldanceartist

    stldanceartist Minister of Silly Walks

    Would still appreciate some help if someone is familiar with this packaging. Thanks!
     
  4. ddddd

    ddddd Member

    Maybe @7Jags would have some info (although I believe he focuses on Franklin Mint sets). There was also someone on the PCGS forums (can't remember the username unfortunately) that specialized in South Africa, so it might be worth a try posting this thread there too.
     
  5. onecenter

    onecenter Member

    All of the sets illustrated in the photo are the official mint sets for the period.

    Specifically, the PVC sleeves used for the sets issued from 1977-1983 are particularly soft. It can be difficult to obtain these sets with unaffected bronze coins. The nickel 5-, 10-, 20-, 50-cent and 1 rand coins can show no traces of PVC damage.

    The proof sets of the same period contained a silver 1 rand coin instead of the nickel version for circulation.
     
    ddddd likes this.
  6. stldanceartist

    stldanceartist Minister of Silly Walks

    Thank you for the recommendation, but I no longer post over at the PCGS boards.

    Thank you for your response - yes, I'm aware of the normal proof sets with the silver rand (I own a few) but these were just confusing the heck out of me - because the surfaces on some of these look definitely proof like.

    Do you know if there is a difference between these two sets (both from 1995):

    IMG_7359.jpg

    One on the left is labeled as "Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Set" and one on the right is just "Uncirculated Coin Set" - I'd open the set on the left up to compare the two, but honestly I'd prefer to know a bit more before I do that.
     
    potty dollar 1878 likes this.
  7. onecenter

    onecenter Member

    I have only seen the sets in the square packaging. They match the size to the proof sets, which were in more rigid boxes that slide open.
     
  8. stldanceartist

    stldanceartist Minister of Silly Walks

    Gotcha. Thank you!

    Well, I opened up the larger square packaging for the 1995 set, and it's the same finish as the smaller plastic set. However, it appears they used a higher-quality, non-PVC plastic for the larger square pack, as the bronze coins do not have PVC issues like the smaller blister pack:

    IMG_7364.jpg
     
    ddddd likes this.
  9. ManfredNam

    ManfredNam Non-functioning

    In a moment of insanity i posted a reply ... logged in as a guest.

    I will check tomorrow if one of the moderators approved my reply.
    As soon as my camera is available i will post a pic of the proof set as mentioned.
     
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