Heritage Auctions presents The Gatsby Collection, an extraordinary curation of pre-1960 South African coinage, unparalleled in its breadth and quality. The collection comprises what is believed to be the rarest, most comprehensive and most valuable collection of Southern African numismatic items in private hands and represents the result of more than 50 years of patient and dedicated connoisseurship.
The Gatsby Collection will be sold at Heritage Auctions throughout 2025 in three installments, the first with a stand-alone session at Heritage’s New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) Auction January 13.
The overarching objective of the passionate collector who compiled this comprehensive and highly graded collection was to include the rarest coins and mint specimens representing the rich history of coinage in early Southern Africa. Spanning the very first prototypes of the fledgling mission station of Griquatown, through the Boer republics of the Orange Free State and Transvaal, and onward via the Union of South Africa period, to a selection of the key modern-day Krugerrands, this collection is a lasting testament to the collector’s determination to capture the finest and most coveted issues.
Building this remarkable assemblage has required not only an extensive knowledge of South African numismatics, but also remarkable networking and negotiating skills to discretely secure the many immensely rare – and in some cases unique – pieces seen in this collection, which is the result of extensive time, effort and financial commitment that were invested during its compilation.
This NYINC standalone will feature the crowning jewel of this collection and of the entire South African numismatic field: the legendary “Single 9” overstrike of the 1898 Pond. Dubbed “The King of South African Coins,” this unique coin is undeniably one of the most valuable and rare world coins extant. It boasts a fascinating pedigree, including being once part of King Farouk’s illustrious “Palace Collections of Egypt.” It was last privately traded to the current owner in 2010.
