Something for new for coin collectors

Coin collectors and history enthusiasts enjoyed a weekend of new coins that were showcased at the South African Mint.

The annual Johannesburg Coin Show took place at the Sandton Convention Centre on 3 to 5 June.

This year’s coin show enticed avid coin collectors with a range of exciting new coins, and it was a perfect opportunity for beginners to start their collecting journey with the remarkable South African invention called the Dolos.

“We are incredibly excited and proud to launch the Dolos collection at the Johannesburg Coin Show. A unique coin collection of this calibre offers a glimpse into our past, enticing stories forged by history, and the wonders of our planet,” Tumi Tsehlo, managing director of the South African Mint said.

“The South African Mint offers novice and established coin collectors an unprecedented opportunity to become part of the beauty and craftsmanship of the world of unique coin collecting.”

The Dolos is commemorated on the 2016 2½c Tickey and R2 Crown sterling-silver coins.

The Dolos is the first invention to be featured at the 2016 Johannesburg Coin Show and was developed in East London in 1963 to protect harbour walls as their unique design ensures that they form an interlocking porous wall.

“The two coins are aimed to celebrate a different South African invention which comes with an extraordinary history and heritage. Under the new theme of South African inventions, the beautifully crafted R2 Crown and 2½c Tickey will offer coin collectors a lifetime of appreciation,” Tsehlo said.

Roughly 10 000 dolosse are required to preserve a kilometre of coastline, and a single dolos weighs up to 30 tons.

“Eric Mowbray Merrifield, East London Harbour Engineer from 1961 to 1976, is credited with the invention of the dolos. However, in the late 1990s Aubrey Kruger, Merrifield’s young draughtsman at the time, claimed that he and Merrifield considered the shape of the concrete blocks together following storm damage to East London’s extensive breakwaters in 1963. Although Merrifield died in 1982 and Kruger’s claim cannot be settled either way, the fact remains that this South African invention has changed the face of coastlines around the world,” Tsehlo explained.

She added that in addition to the invention, the South African Mint wished to commemorate a truly South African story with the 2016 Dolos coin collection.

Richard Stone, product development manager of South African Mint said, “The reverse of the R2 Crown depicted people on a harbour wall protected by a number of dolosse. Its obverse features the coat of arms of South Africa, the year 2016 and the words ‘South Africa’ in all the South African official languages. The reverse of the 2½c Tickey shows a single dolos with the denomination 2½c, while the obverse features the words ‘South Africa’ with the year 2016 and a protea. The set is packaged with an exclusive miniature sterling silver mould in the shape of a dolos.”

“Keep a keen collectable eye out for next year’s great R2 Crown and 2½c Tickey South African invention coins, which will celebrate yet another remarkable innovation by a South African.”