ABOUT THE MINT

Although coins have been produced in South Africa for more than a century, the South African Mint’s new facility incorporates much modern technology making it one of the most advanced manufacturers of circulation coins, numismatic products in the world.

In addition to minting all of South Africa’s coins, the company supplies coins and coin blanks to an increasing number of countries throughout the world and has built up a reputation for reliability, quality and innovation.
Traditional craftsmanship and artistic skills are equally important in the coin business. The South African Mint is proud to have received a number of awards for the design and quality of its gold and silver coins. Many of these coins depict themes from South Africa’s rich cultural and natural heritage and reflect the dedication and attention to detail that the company’s people devote to all its products.

Emphasis has been placed on the development of personnel in parallel with investments in modern technology. The South African Mint is in an excellent position to continue to serve its many customers throughout the world at the commencement of the new millennium.

Mr. A. M. Mvinjelwa
Managing Director
South African Mint Company

ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

The South African Mint recognizes its responsibility towards the African environment. We will always be fully dependent on the availability of natural resources and have implemented a variety of systems to fulfill our environmental obligations and contribute to sustainability.

The new Constitution of the Republic of South Africa includes the fundamental right of every person "to an environment that is not harmful to his or her health or well-being". The South African Mint is in the process of applying for ISO 14001 status and despite the presence of potentially hazardous substances and processes; the site is already recognized as a safe and ergonomically friendly environment.

Testimony to the South African Mint’s environmental commitment may be seen in the following systems:

· Advanced fume scrubbing at the electroplating plant
· Effluent processing equipment
· Cyanide destruction plant
· Frequent tests to ensure the quality of the water that leaves the premises
· Regular visits by noise and air pollution consultants to ensure that pollution levels do not exceed internationally accepted minimums

Development of a natural wildlife garden with various birds such as ducks, geese and ostriches, as well as springbok and other antelope.
Special attention has also been paid to ensuring that the trees and flowers that have been introduced to the garden are indigenous to South Africa.

COIN WORLD

Coin World is the extremely popular retail outlet and museum at the South African Mint. Since opening its doors to the public in 1996, Coin World has become a major tourist attraction. Special features at Coin World include a complete museum display of South African coins, working machinery, works of art, antique furniture and a trained guide on the floor. Krugerrands, jewellery, limited edition medallion watches and other exciting collectors’ items are available directly from the Mint at bargain prices.

Coin World at the South African Mint, is situated on the N1 between Johannesburg and Pretoria, within every tourists' reach en-route to their destinations. The security and tranquility that surrounds the Mint, as well as the comforting and calm ambiance of Café Burgundy's, makes a visit to Coin World, a magical experience for tourist and customers alike.
Visitors to Coin World can enjoy the unique experience of striking their own proof coin on one of the world’s oldest working mint presses, nicknamed "Oom Paul". Coin World is known for its superb customer service and has proved to be the place to buy a South African gift with a difference.

Come and visit Coin World at the South African Mint.

We are open seven days a week:

Monday : 13h00 till 16h30
Tuesday to Friday: 09h00 till 16h30
Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays : 09h00 till 15h00

DID YOU KNOW

"Oom Paul Minting Press"

This is one of the oldest working coin presses in the world with a manufacturing date of 1891. President Paul Kruger, then the President of the old ZAR (Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek) ordered two presses from Ludw. Loew & Co. in Berlin to be used at the first South African Mint on Church Square, Pretoria.

More than 8 million coins were minted between 1892 and 1900 on the "Oom Paul". The so called "Kruger millions", Sammy Marks golden tickeys, special 1947 crowns for the visit of the British Royal family, the first decimal 1c coins in 1961, the first Krugerrand in 1967, the first gold Protea in 1986 and the first R2 coin were minted on this historical press. The first of South Africa’s various other new 24-carat gold coin series were also launched on this press.

"Oom Paul" has survived two wars, been worked on five different premises and was involved in the manufacturing of four coin series and various other prestigious items. This is the only remaining press of its kind in the world.

How does the "Oom Paul" operate?
· "Oom Paul" was originally steam operated, but has been modified to work on electricity.
· Blanks are automatically, or in some cases, manually fed into the coining press.
· The coin press is nothing more than a heavy-duty piece of machinery to drive one die down towards a second die.
· The planchet in between the dies, receives the impact and the metal flows into the design in each die, whilst simultaneously expanding the collar.
· The collar imparts the serrations or flat edge to the coins as necessary.
60 coins per minute can be minted on the "Oom Paul".

The numismatic coin manufacturing process is quite different from circulation coining. At the SA Mint, circulation coin manufacturing is an automated, high-speed process whereas the numismatic coin manufacturing process is very slow and labor intensive. South African numismatic coins are manufactured from the following materials:

· Bronze plated steel
· Nickel-plated bronzes
· Sterling silver (925Ag)
· 22 ct Gold
· 24 ct Gold (999.9Au)

24 ct Gold coins are manufactured according to the following process phases:

· Casting
The gold is cast in a vertical continuous induction furnace and the crucible and casting dies are manufactured from very high-grade graphite.
A starter bar is placed in the die, which acts as a plug during the smelting process. The molten gold attaches to the starter bar, initiating the casting process. As soon as the correct temperature is reached, the starter bar is withdrawn from the die very slowly.
The molten gold solidifies in the die and as it is pulled out of the die the molten gold flows into the die hence, the name continuous casting. The result of the cast is a drawn bar with dimensions and length dependant on the amount of gold.

The classification of a successful smelt depends on:
o The assay
o The surface finish of the strip
o The solidification pattern
o The absence of surface cracks on the drawn bar.

· Rolling
After the casting process, the drawn bar is washed and then rolled to the correct thickness. This is done on a rolling mill. In this process, the drawn bar is rolled into a strip.
By passing the strip between the two rollers, the strip length is increased as the thickness is decreased. Two operators control this process manually, one placing the strip into the mill and the other removing the strip from the mill.
It is very important that the strip is handled with extreme care so as to prevent surface contamination as well as avoid scratches to the strip surface.
The percentage of reduction per operation is very important and should not be more than 10% of the thickness of the strip. When the correct thickness is achieved, the strip is washed and inspected for any surface errors. The strip is now ready to be blanked.

· Blanking
Blanking is the process whereby round discs are cut from the strip. The blanking machine, fitted with a punch and a cutter, according to the specific diameter required, is operated manually by one operator.
It is very important that the strip is handled with extreme care so that the surface is not scratched and the maximum yield of blanks is acquired. After the blanks are cut, they are individually inspected, the inspection criteria being, weight, diameter, and visual acceptance.
· Blanks are placed in an annealing furnace to relieve stress. The furnace is an open-ended steel belt furnace, equipped with heating and cooling zones that are protected by a continuous flow of inert gas. After stress relieving, the blanks are placed in a heated acid solution to eliminate any surface contamination. The blanks are now ready to be polished.

· Polishing
Polishing is the process whereby the surface of each blank is polished to a very high luster and an excellent surface finish is acquired. The blanks are packed in a special fixture to separate them from one another to prevent damage. The loaded fixture is placed in a rotating, multi-sided tumbler, together with special soap and polishing media.
The polishing media contains minute stainless steel balls of different shapes. Loading during this phase is the last time that the blanks or coins are handled with bare fingers.
Special finger cots are used to handle the blanks or coins during the manufacturing processes. The blanks are removed from the tumbler and fixture and the luster and surface finish are inspected. If the blanks are acceptable they are individually hand-dried and packed in a special tray. The blanks are now ready for the coining process.

· Coining
In the coining process the blank is embossed with two dies simultaneously, one for the obverse (front) coin face and the other for the reverse (back) coin face. A serrated collar restricts the sideway flow of the material.
Coining is undertaken with multi-stroke knuckle presses. Depending on the diameter and detail of the coin, the strokes can vary from three to eleven strokes per coin. The coining operator individually selects each blank for the coining process.
The operator places the blank in the machine and the machine is activated. After the coin is struck, the operator removes the coin and inspects it under a magnifying glass. If the coin is accepted, it is placed in a special storage tray. After each coin is struck, the dies are cleaned with a special soft cloth to remove any residue from the die faces.
The coins are now ready to be packed according to specific packaging requirements. It is important to note that this is the last phase in the manufacturing process of proof gold coins and from this point on nothing can be done to the coin to improve the quality.

· Packing
Packing is the last phase before a coin is ready to be sold. This process is also a manual process during which the packers do a final inspection of the coins as well as the actual packaging.
In this way, the most beautiful coins in the world are manufactured.

Coin World Manager: 012 677 2357
Coin World: 012 677 2460
Coin World fax: 012 677 2828
Coin Walk: (012) 677 2324
SWITCHBOARD Tel: +27(0)12 677 2777
NUMISMATIC SALES Tel: +27(0)12 677 2482

Physical Address:
Old Jhb Road/Old Pretoria Road
Gateway
Centurion

Postal Address:
PO Box 8850
Centurion
0046