Challenging the Griquatown Coin claims by Brian Hern
in his 2008 S African coin catalogue (seen right below).

The author of this article, Scott Balson, has a collection of over 250 books related to the Griqua, is the author of the book covering the Griquas' lives and has been researching the Griqua for over thirty years - see Children of the Mist at this link. Balson also has a keen interest in numismatics.

Despite being made aware of the overwhelming evidence that the "Griquatown token coins" never circulated in S Africa through a letter to the National Numismatic Society in 2005 Brian Hern continues to push this furphy. It is interesting Hern was Secretary of the club at that time and that the committee discussed my letter but refused to table it to the members.

In red below is Hern's dismissive email response to a single fax sent to him a few months after this with the results of my research. These were sent to him in the interests of the integrity of South African numismatics:

Dear Mr Balson,

I have received your fax and re-iterate that you are entitled to your opinions (about the Griqua Town coins), but, I also have read the books you refer to and I too, have a different opinion to yours. I can refute every one of your opinions.

I find your ignorance quite outstanding and I do no accept any of your remarks as definite proof negating Parson's research.

Now let this be an end to your tirades!!! Stop bombarding me with your allegations.

Regarding your correspondence addressed to the NNS, I, as the Secretary of the NNS, confirmed to you the receipt of your correspondence. What more do you want!!!

Yours faithfully,

Brian Hern.

Hern refused to discuss or debate this subject further - the reason I have posted this article which factually debunks the claims he makes in his book on the Griquatown coins. This is the only correspondence I have received from Brian Hern.

(NOTE: even Spink, who employed Parson in 1927, now accept that the research shown here is correct and that Parson was wrong. It was Parson who first suggested the Griquatown tokens circulated resulting in numerous quotes in coin books to this effect. More on Spink's response at this link)

The facts in a nutshell: Bushmen alone roamed the Kimberley region, at the time Hern would have you believe Griquatown coins circulated there. They roamed nomadically in small family groups with nothing more than loin cloths and poisoned bows and arrows. Survival by the hunt was their primary goal. At this time white explorers and missionaries counted for less than one per annum roaming through this remote and hostile region of southern Africa. There were no white settlers north of the Orange River - the Voortrekkers only came much later. The Griquas had deserted newly named Griquatown some 150km to the west of the yet to be established settlement at Kimberley. (Kimberley was only settled in the 1870s following the discovery of diamonds). They deserted the settlement at Griquatown after falling out with the London Missionary Society's Anderson over the introduction of Campbell's laws. The key Griqua family groups like the Koks, Waterboers and Barends had moved out in disgust to regions afar like Danielskuil to the north and Campbell to the east. They took their spoils of ivory and cattle to the Beaufort Fair in the south each year. Barter and Rix dollars were the only form of exchange - this fact is widely recorded - even by Campbell during his second visit to South Africa. In 1841 Captain H Butler published the excellent book "South African Sketches" see this link. This rare and sought after book carries thirty illustrations (fifteen hand coloured) of life beyond the Cape frontiers in the late 1830s (ie over 20 years after Hern would have you believe the Griquatown coins circulated as currency!). The Kat River region Butler hunted in was hundreds of miles closer to civilisation than remote Kimberley Hern refers to yet all Butler's illustration reflect the truth of the matter - and confirmed the obvious backed by his own words. Game ruled central South Africa in a land where only brave or desperate men, largely bushmen, hunted. Barter was the only form of trade. The Griquas never changed their lifestyles despite Campbell's brief visit in 1813 over 20 years before this - they continued with their traditional nomadic ways spending months travelling across the land north of the Vaal river on horseback hunting and grazing their herds of cattle, sheep and goats. Any trade done in the region was by barter - for example, ivory or skins for brandy. This fact is well recorded in many documents and books dating back to that time. There were no human settlements in the remote "Kimberley region". In fact there was not one shop, trading post or bank north of the Orange River. The cold, hard Facts: In 1815-16 when Hern would have you believe the Griquas of Griquatown were using the "Griquatown token coins" to trade the settlement had become a ghost town - just a handful of people remained. This fact is documented by a large number of independent historians and confirmed by Balson's own research (the fragmentation of the Griqua communities was largely due to disputes with Anderson over the enforcement and implementation of Campbell's laws). Interestingly research by emininent South African historian Karel Schoeman into the records of the London Missionary Society reveals that there was "no money in Griquatown" in 1815-16. (See extracts of the book at the bottom of this page). So why does Hern continue to suggest there was? Does he know better than the missionaries who lived there at that time? William Burchell reveals the truth: In the classic drawing of Griquatown by Burchell penned in 1812 (before the village became a ghost town) you can see just a handful of huts of this nomadic and transient people dominated by kraals for penning sheep and cattle. There are no permanent dwellings, stores, banks or places to trade. Burchell was a highly regarded naturalist who recorded every detail. Click on the image below for details. Only Waterboer returns to Griquatown to become Griqua leader in 1820 Waterboer (the only Griqua leader who came back to Griquatown after the 1814 fall out) returned with his followers in 1820-21 years after the coins were supposed to have been used as currency there. He had settled on the banks of the Hart River with his "Hartenaars". The other Griqua leaders never returned. Adam Kok II and his people had taken up the nomadic lifestyle of the Bergenaar on the Orange River and later settled in Philippolis in the southern Orange Free State, while Cornelius Kok had settled at Campbell to the east and Barend Barends at Danielskuil to the north. Before Waterboer's return Griquatown had become a ghost town. On his return Helm specifically refers to paying Waterboer in Rijksdaalders for work done. Quote from letter written by Helm on 21 June 1821: he (Waterboer) has for the last two years received nothing except 13 Rijksdaalders 4 Schillings. Not one Griquatown coin was made in payment - see relevant extracts of Schoeman's book copied below. The fallacy of the "Kimberley region": White settlement at Kimberley following the discovery of diamonds only happened about sixty years later! Before that the "Kimberley region" (referred to by Hern) was practically uninhabited and there were NO villages or communities there. Kimberley is over 150km from Griquatown. It was as remote and wild as the picture painted by Butler (above) - and the artist's work was far closer to the borders of civilisation. Hern's discredited furphy: Hern would have you believe in his South African coin book that there were shops around the region busy selling items like scissors in exchange for Griquatown token coins or... in a best case scenario.... Griquas pulling out the coins and exchanging them for brandy and skins as they rode through the wilds of Africa! But then they had no pockets and had no understanding of addition let alone fractions (1/4, 1/2) or the value of "useless coins" over barter... disregarding these facts where would they store the coins which had no holes and why would they bother! Even the acclaimed expert on the history of currency and banking in South Africa, Prof Arndt, (see notes below) says this is a nonsense! The challenge Hern refuses to accept The Griquatown token coins never circulated and have no real numismatic history or value - to say they do is complete fabrication, worse still the facts have now been made public but continue to be ignored by prominent numismatists. I am still waiting on anyone, including Hern, to refute the historically supported points raised on this website. For many years I have challenged any numismatist of note in South Africa to a public debate over the issue. There have been, to date, no takers only a few who, in the past, have resorted to attacking the messenger to try to discredit my research. In short, to suggest that the Griquatown token coins circulated as currency among the Griquas at Griquatown in 1815-16 (or at any time in South Africa) is a complete nonsense. Until someone accepts my challenge and answers the evidence given here and the links on this page - be wary of investing in "Griquatown token coins" that have nothing more than a romantic (not real) association with South African numismatics! Prof Arndt's books were used in universities in South Africa including the University of Pretoria as an authoritative text book for BCOM students and he was considered to be the author of South African banking / currency in South Africa (source Anthony Govender prominent Durban numismatist). This is what Prof Arndt says about this issue in Banking and Currency Development in South Africa:  He quotes Hofstede and Gunning as references to support his proposal that Griquatown token coins never circulated: "not one farthing was in circulation".   Full quote (pg 127): The coins were of four denominations, viz: 1/4 and 1/2 in copper and IIIII and 10 in silver. These were sent at a time when these coloured people had not the slightest notion of the advantages of a metallic currency. Moreover their entire trade at the time did not even amount to fifty pounds per annum. Accordingly it is not surprising that the dove of peace soon flew away and the money of which never a single farthing was in circulation accompanied it. The only permanent memorials of Campbell's visit turned out to be the names "Griqua" and "Griquatown". South Africa's first indigenous currency - the Strachan and Co South Africa's first truley indigenous currency, the Strachan and Co (S&Co) coins were successful because they were holed could be hung with beads and had values in goods that the entire population could relate to. They were accepted as currency across a large indigenous population in East Griqualand (south of Natal) and were supported by several trading stores scattered across the region long before the Standard bank established a branch at Kokstad. The S&Co were South Africa's first indigenous coinage, recognised by the Griqua Government in Kokstad. Even The Standard Bank confirm that they accepted and gave out S&Co coins in times of severe shortage of coin in that remote region. They were so successful that several other traders in the region tried to get on the band wagon - issuing their own trade tokens - all failed to enjoy the success of the Strachan coins. It is a fact that the remote East Griqualand region has more varieties of trading tokens than any other region in South Africa including the major centres like Cape Town, Johannesburg or Durban. A coin from each of the four Strachan and Co sets:

The image above is Klaarwater / Griquatown as recorded by Burchell in 1812 - and this was BEFORE the mass exodus referred to above!