NOTE: "Known Mintages" in the sets below ONLY represent the over 20,000 coins counted by Balson during an intensive six month cataloguing of the stock held at Strachan and Co's main store at Umzimkhulu in 1977. This collection at the store was mostly melted down by Ken Strachan in the 1980s after the Strachan empire was dissolved in 1984. They exclude a large cache of these coins that  were scrapped, neither do these "Known Mintages" and "Estimated Surviving" figures include the caches of thousands of other S&Co tokens subsequently tracked down by collectors. These are recorded and analysed separately at the bottom of this page. The integrity of the proportional scarcity of each coin in a set is maintained by accurately recording the numbers in the Balson count.

The book "Kence" has a few errors in the numbers of coins displayed on page ten, these errors have been rectified in the figures below. More on the background to these errors at this link

The good news for coin collectors is that the more common "IN GOODS" varieties are readily available. There are four sets of S&Co tokens - their subtle change in application from true currency tokens to barter (or monopoly) tokens can be seen in later mintings. (See tokens and their types)

The Four Sets of Strachan and co Tokens:

• The S & Co
• The rare S & Co MH
• The "OLD" S & Co In Goods set
• The "NEW" S & Co In Goods set
• Are there in fact two sets of "in goods"?
• Oddities

Additional important information:

• Mintages of the four sets counted by Scott Balson in 1977 and estimation of these surviving
• Background to research on when the tokens were released updated thanks to Milner Snell in July 2016
• Additional large caches of S&Co tokens that have since come to light

• Known revised mintages of S & Co coins counted

  Going prices and history of complete set prices since 1980
  
  Email:  info@tokencoins.com

The Technical details of the four
Strachan and Co token coin sets

Rare to very rare.

Oldest of the sets. True "currency tokens". First issued in 1874  used as currency across Nomansland with the sanction of the Griqua Government. Also accepted and supplied by the Standard Bank in Kokstad for many years from the late 1870s when currency was extremely scarce in this region.

The first widely circulating indigenous coinage issued in S Africa and thus highly sought after and collectable.

Brass, uniface, plain edge raised rim in pearled border pierced at 12 o'clock. Inscription across the field in two lines, "S & Co", and the value, 3d, 6d, 1/- or 2/-. The dimensions are shown below. Current prices of these tokens at this link.

*Known Mintage based on stock manually counted by Balson in 1977

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Extremely rare.

Specifically struck for one of the Strachan stores, Mountain Home. Current prices of these tokens at this link. True "currency tokens". First issued c1904 - 1907 and used as currency across Nomansland with the sanction of the Griqua Government supported by the Standard Bank at Kokstad.

Brass, uniface, plain edge raised rim in pearled border pierced at 12 o'clock. Inscription across the field in three lines, "S & Co", "MH" and the value, 3d, 6d, 1/- or 2/-. The dimensions are shown below

*Saved by Balson during the counting - note Balson kept all the MH tokens found during the count.
*Known Mintage based on stock manually counted by Balson in 1977

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Rare, except for the 1/- which is the rarest of the S & Co tokens.

Trade and barter tokens, first issued at sometime between 1910 and 1920 used as currency across Nomansland and southern Natal until 1932 despite the inclusion of "In Goods".

Brass,obverse and reverse the same, plain edge, raised rim in pearled border pierced at 12 o'clock. Inscription in three straight lines, "S & Co", the value, 3d, 6d, 1/- or 2/- and "In Goods".Current prices of these tokens at this link.

*Rarest of the S&Co tokens
*Known Mintages based on stock manually counted by Balson in 1977

Detailed description of differences of the two Strachan and Co "In Goods" sets (see below) at this link

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Relatively common, most recent mint of the Strachan sets. Coins can occasionally be found in near uncirculated condition.

Barter tokens issued in the 1920s - and despite the inclusion of "In Goods" they were used as currency across Nomansland and southern Natal until 1932.

Brass,obverse and reverse the same, plain edge, raised rim in pearled border pierced at 12 o'clock. Inscription in three straight lines, "S & Co", the value, 3d, 6d, 1/- or 2/- and "In Goods". (NOTE: There are varieties of the 6d without a rim and 888 coins counted with pearls missing between 3pm and 5pm.) Current prices of these tokens at this link.

Total Strachan coins counted: 20,986

*Known Mintage based on stock manually counted by Balson in 1977

Detailed description of differences of two Strachan and Co "In Goods" sets at this link


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Oddities

S&Co mis-strikes

Clipped planchets and mis-striikes	Unholed pieces

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Known mintages of the four sets, estimates on production and coins surviving today (token coins held by Strachan and Co in Umzimkulu and counted by Balson in 1977)

No official mintages are known but careful counts were taken of each of the sixteen different tokens present in the Strachan & Co stock in 1977. If we bear in mind the relatively high purchasing power of these tokens during the period 1874 to 1932 it seems unlikely many were retained by customers as mementos. The figures are therefore believed to be an excellent indication of the actual proportion of each of the sixteen coins making up a complete set of South Africa's first indigenous circulating currency. Sadly, most of the tokens counted in 1977 were scrapped by Ken Strachan a few years later. In recent times small hordes of the Strachan tokens (see below) have appeared out of the blue reflecting a far greater mintage.

NOTE: A few hundred of the coins counted by Balson and held by Ken Strachan were put into costume jewellery by Forder (based in Pietermaritzburg (Natal). Pietermaritzburg is colloquially known as "Sleepy Hollow" - see image below). An example of Forder's work, owned by the Balson Holdings Family Trust, can be seen below. (The coin has been polished):

See George Fuld rarity ratings

* The official rarest coin in the series - the old 1/- in goods.
* The "MH" (Mountain Home) series is the rarest set of Strachan and Co tokens - kept by Balson during the count.
* Includes 888 six pences with pearls missing between 3 and 5pm

Total Coins Catalogued by Scott Balson in 1977: 20,986

Additional large caches of Strachan and Co tokens found:

The bottom line from the facts below is that the revised estimate of Strachan and Co token coins minted (largely the "In Goods" sets known as three and four) is between 50,000 to 100,000 pieces. Most have been scrapped or lost. They represent over £3,000 in face value - far in excess of the need of a remote trading store. A key fact which supports the evidence that these coins were bona fide currency  in Nomansland and beyond for nearly 60years.

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First known cache

The scrapped Strachan and Co tokens being sold on the Internet:

Scott

In the days when I travelled southern Africa ( mid 70's ) and was on my way either to or from Lesotho ( NW of Mt. Frere ). I cuddled up in the bush one evening and awoke to a group of workers cutting trees, after a conversation one asked me to drive him to some hut where he whipped out a massive quantity of these tokens strung onto necklaces .

Happy collecting - Steve

Pomexport Ltd.
P. O. Box 2, Ridgefield Park, NJ - 07660

Steve also advised that he acquired the entire stock which had all been "scrapped by holing" to prevent them being used as coinage, It is possible that this cache of Strachan and Co tokens, numbering thousands, was scrapped after they were withdrawn from circulation in 1932. Thankfully many other Strachan and Co tokens, like the coins later counted by Balson and those outlined below, which survived undamaged!

We were reliably advised in January 2004 that more S&Co tokens numbering in their thousands, but not being part of the original stock counted by Balson, are now being sold by a policeman in southern Natal. Their average condition is graded as "F" - ie not as good as the coins counted by Balson. This could be as a result of poor storage conditions over an extended period. We know that these tokens are not part of the initial count as 10 "MH" tokens were found by well-known token coin enthusiast, Allyn Jacobs, among over 500 two shilling pieces. Balson had earlier removed all the MH pieces during his count of the tokens held at the Umzimkhulu store. It is quite clear that these large numbers of tokens are part of an additional cache of S&Co tokens - Balson now suggests that these coins probably have a very special history. Take this link for more.

In his email of 28th February 2004 Allyn Jacobs reports the cache is made up as follows:

• MH : 10
• S&Co: 18
• Old In Goods: 64
• New In Goods: 416
• Total 508 two-shilling pieces.

and, Condition for the most part is pretty average, with not only the S&Co and the Mountain Home pieces showing wear, but strangely enough also, most of Sets 3 and 4. They would doubtless all benefit from a bit of a "clean-up", and I may well try a wash-and-brush-up. (The pieces counted by Balson at Umzimkhulu were of a far higher average standard and were cleaned during the counting).

Balson suggests that these coins were probably held in the Kokstad police station and were the coins confiscated in 1912 when the Griqua tried to collect money to finance Le Fleur's return.

On page 323 of "Children of the Mist" Balson records (source Parliamentary papers from that time):
Adam Smith told the people that Andrew Le Fleur would soon return, and that when he did the land would be given back to Griquas and be put under his chieftainship. Smith said that all those present who supported Le Fleur’s role as chief over East Griqualand must sign a list that he handed down to the gathering. He asked those assembled there to pay 2/- so that when Le Fleur came, Smith could show him the list and the support he had in the territory. Smith said the government had given East Griqualand to the Griquas and that any headman who did not follow his advice would be discharged by Andrew Le Fleur on his return. Smith said that anyone who did not follow his advice would be chased away from East Griqualand with the unwanted white settlers who had taken over their lands. The people were ecstatic and freely signed the list, and each paid 2/-. Lucas, like many others there, used one of his Strachan and Co. coins. The bucket used to collect the money was soon too heavy to carry.

Third known cache:

This letter speaks for itself:

Hello Scott,

I am a member of the Pietermaritzburg coin club, and I have known about you and your marvellous website for some time. Before I retired I was professor of computer science at the University and worked one floor below Clive Graham.

I though that you would like to know that a large number of Strachan tokens came up for auction here recently (May 2005). They were in the family of Guy Scott who I understand was an accountant in Umzimkhulu and a director of Strachan & Co. I was the successful bidder. There were 302 tokens (+ 1 Larkan) in the lot, as tabulated below, plus a signed copy of “Kence” and a printed booklet entitled “Old Umzimkulu”.

Michael Laidlaw

*Our belief is that this is a new find as Guy Scott had a trading store in the early 1900s and all the MHs were removed by Scott Balson while counting the stock held by Strachan and Co at Umzimkhulu and the wide variety in numbers of individual pieces does not reflect the manner in which coins would be gifted (eg no relatively common old in goods 6d's and five rare MH 2/-).

Total of Strachan and Co coins known to be in existence/ to have once existed when new caches outlined above are added to the original count made by Scott Balson (note actual numbers are far greater - estimates are conservative)*:

*These figures exclude the scrapped tokens found by Pomexport

The above figures are based on the known mintage of Strachan and Co trade tokens. They exclude the large cache of Strachan and Co tokens referred to by Steve of Pomexport.  Collectively these large volumes of Strachan and Co tokens represent an extraordinary face value for an isolated chain of trading stores serving a the largely African population in a large region extending from southern Natal to north of the Cape Colony.

The estimated actual face value of Strachan and Co trade tokens minted is between £3,000 to £5,000 - or about 100,000 pieces. There are no other South African trade tokens in existence that come anywhere near this massive volume. IMPORTANT NOTE: Over 90% of these tokens have been melted down or destroyed.

When one considers the words of Rev W Dower when recording the state of the Griqua nation in the mid 1870s, "The church undertook to pay him 150 pounds per annum in cash. The most extraordinary part of it is that there was not that amount of coin in the country at the time."

A few years after Dower made this comment the Strachan and Co trade tokens became the circulating currency of Nomansland - fact!

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