SOUTH AFRICA, South African Republic. 1852-1902. Pattern CU Two Pence (28mm, 10.07 g, 6h). Otto Nolte & Co. (Berlin) mint; mms: bee and griffin’s head. Dies by L.C. Lauer. Dated 1874. NGC MS 66 BN.

CNG Feature Auction 129
Lot: 803.
Closing Date: May 14 2025 11:00 ET

World, Copper

Estimate: $ 750

BID NOW

SOUTH AFRICA, South African Republic. 1852-1902. Pattern CU Two Pence (28mm, 10.07 g, 6h). Otto Nolte & Co. (Berlin) mint; mms: bee and griffin’s head. Dies by L.C. Lauer. Dated 1874. ZUID AFRIKAANSCHE REPUBLIEK (radiant star), coat-of-arms surmounted by eagle with wings spread, head right; crossed flags in background / EENDRAGT · MAAKT · MAGT, 2/ PENCE; MUNSTPROEVE below. Hern T19; KM (X) Pn3. In NGC encapsulation 6922485-010, graded MS 66 BN. Top Pop.

From the Alexander Christopher Collection.

This interesting piece is part of a now mostly forgotten series of fantasy patterns produced by Lauer and others in the late 19th century. While some contemporaries, such as the English dealer Daniel F. Howarth welcomed these pieces, others felt they were deceitful. American numismatist Lyman Low was particularly outraged, calling the patterns fraudulent. He wrote in The Numismatist, “It is noticeable that they purport to belong principally to obscure and unimportant countries where detection would be comparatively difficult. Any attempt to issue such pieces elsewhere would contravene the coinage laws and involve penalties... The entire list given by Mr. Howorth may, in my opinion, be pronounced a sham, and I heartily agree with him in classifying them as ‘apocryphal,’ and echo his words of warning against them. The few we have published will be withdrawn from our lists and catalogs.”

Despite the outrage at the time, collectors today – including this cataloger – heartily welcome these pieces into their collections. In many cases, these so-called ‘apocryphal’ coins are the only examples from these countries available.

For further information, see Courtney L. Coffing, “Apocryphal coins shed bad names,” in Coin World, 12 January 1977, p. 64-67.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 129 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 13-14 May 2025. This lot is in Session Three, which will begin 14 May at 9 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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