Coinage of the Union of South Africa

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A King George VI 2½ shillings of 1952 that shows the change to 2½s.

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Here you see the change to '5 s' on a 5 shillings coin.

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You will also have noticed that from 1951 onward, some coins show the words SUID-AFRIKA on the left hand side of the reverse and SOUTH AFRICA on the right. Previously the order was the other way around. After I have finished this topic, perhaps somebody could list exactly which coins show SUID-AFRIKA on the left.

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A springbok 5 shillings coin was not issued in 1952.

Instead a 5 shillings coin commemorating the 300th anniversary of Cape Town was issued.

The reverse design was the work of Marion Walgate. It showed Jan van Riebeck's ship, the Dromedaris.



At the bottom right you see the initials VOC.

They stand for "Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie" (United East India Company).

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South Africa, ½ pound, 1952.



South Africa, 1 pound, 1952.

Gold one pound and half pound coins were issued in 1952.

They carried the familiar springbok design on their reverse.

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Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952.

The first South African coins to carry her portrait were issued in 1953.

They used the same uncrowned effigy, by Mary Gillick, that was used in the UK.


Otherwise, there were no changes to the coinage.

Gold half pound and pound coins were also issued during Elizabeth's reign as Queen of South Africa.

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The usual springbok 5 shillings coin was not issued in 1960.


Above you see South Africa's final 5 shillings coin,

It commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the Union of South Africa.

It was issued before South Africa's independence and adoption of the Rand,


The reverse features the South African parliament building.

The obverse replaces Elizabeth II with the coat of arms.

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From Wikipedia:

The Afrikaner-dominated right-wing National Party, which had come to power in 1948, was avowedly republican, and regarded the position of Queen Elizabeth II as head of state as a relic of British imperialism. The National Party government subsequently organised a referendum on whether the then Union of South Africa should become a republic. The referendum was held in South Africa on 5 October 1960. The vote, which was restricted to whites, was narrowly approved by 52.29% of the voters. The Republic of South Africa was constituted on 31 May 1961.
At a time when other African countries were becoming independent, the white South African government adhered to its policy of apartheid. It was only dismantled when Nelson Mandela became president in 1994.

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Images in this topic were courtesy of Heritage Auctions, Stacks and Bowers, and numista.com.

Questions:

1] Did the 5 shillings coin ever circulate in South Africa?

2] Were the gold half and one pound coins specifically issued to mark the death of George VI?

3] Who can provide a list of which coins showed "SUID-AFRIKA" on the left-hand side of the reverse? It took me longer than expected to finish this topic, and I'm too tired to look it up. 

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See also:

Paul Kruger and the coinage of the South African Republic.

South Africa: Unadopted designs by Kruger-Gray.

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Here is an image of the 1955 set.

We see how all the coins compare, size-wise.

The coin at top left is presumably the 5 shillings coin.

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3] Who can provide a list of which coins showed "SUID-AFRIKA" on the left-hand side of the reverse?

Nobody could answer my questions, so I'll answer #3 myself.

The following coins show the obverse legend of "SUID-AFRIKA" to the left and "SOUTH AFRICA" to the right:

¼D, 1D, 6d, 2s and 5s.

The following coins show the obverse legend of "SOUTH AFRICA" to the left and "SUID-AFRIKA" to the right:

½D, 3D, 1s and 2½S.

So, the arrangement is simply alternated through the ascending denominations. This begins in 1952 and continues through the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The alternation is also applied to the gold ½ pound and 1 pound: "SOUTH AFRICA" to the left on the former and "SUID-AFRIKA" to the left on the latter.

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Looking at the design structure of the set, there is some duplication of designs. The halfpenny and penny both show a ship; the threepence and sixpence have very similar designs of a protea but with a different number of surrounding faggots; and the florin and half crown both show the coat of arms, except that the half crown shows it crowned. That is rather lazy, I find.
There were some other ideas, as you can see in this topic: South Africa: Unadopted designs by Kruger-Gray.

Of the unadopted designs, this one is by far my favourite:



If only. 

[Manfred1]

Images in this topic were courtesy of Heritage Auctions, Stacks and Bowers, and numista.com.

Questions:

1] Did the 5 shillings coin ever circulate in South Africa?

2] Were the gold half and one pound coins specifically issued to mark the death of George VI?

5 Shillings did circulate in South Africa ... i have many 5 shillings in very poor condition due to circulation.

The half pound and pound coins also circulated and were used. The same "figure" or person appeared on the gold coins corresponding to the year of mintage. However, i believe that most of the gold coins, in circulation, were melted.

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Thank you. Are you from South Africa yourself?