Site map for the rare and unusual coins and bank notes of South Africa
(tokencoins.com web site) 

Montage of Strachan family
S & CO trade token and
Adam Kok - the Griqua Kaptyn



Frances Charlotte Larkan's
trade token



The most collectable of all
numismatic Griqua Books

The latest definitive book on
the Griqua's history

Griqua Coinage, Books and Bank Notes

1. Griqua Nation - history, bank note, stamp and coinage

• History of the Griqua Nation - pre1652 to 2005
• The Griquatown "Coinage" (1815- 1816) - exposed as complete rubbish!
• Historic Griqua Buffalo Horn Powder Flask - c1820
• The Griqua Pond bank note (1868)
• Rare tokens from the East Griqualand region - includes unique pieces
• The 1890 Pattern Griqua Town Coins
• Other Serious Collectors of Griqua token coins
• The Mount Currie Express Penny Stamp (1874)
• Land Titles and Grants issued in Cape of Good Hope dating back to 1677
• Land Title Deeds issued in East Griqualand
  
  Supplementary Web Pages:
• Why the 1815/16 Griqua Town "Missionary Coinage" never circulated...
• Debate on the Mount Currie Express stamp
• Map showing lands occupied by the Griquas (across S Africa)
• Map showing the trek down the Ongeluks Nek pass
• "The Griquas and their money" book by Scott Balson
• Graphical chart of history of South Africa's coinage (to 1932)

2. Strachan & Co (S&Co) Trade Tokens - currency 1874 to 1932

• Complete set for sale (SOLD).
• Why the Strachan and Co are South Africa's forgotten currency

• The Standard Bank affirm the currency status of the S&Co

• Related History of the Strachan family
• General Background to the Strachan & Co trade tokens
• Technical Information and Minitings
  • Set 1: S & Co
  • Set 2: S & Co MH
  • Set 3: S & Co (Old) In Goods
  • Set 4: S & Co (New) In Goods
  • The two "In Goods" sets - a comparison
  • Are there in fact two sets of In Goods?
  • Mintages of over 20,000 coins counted by Balson
  • Additional large caches of tokens and revised numbers
• Going prices of Strachan and Co trade tokens
• Strachan and Co set offered for sale - NEW
• Known owners of complete sets of Strachan and Co
• Large image of the sixteen tokens making up a set
• Books and letters related to the Strachan tokens
• History of S African Currency (up to 1923)

3. F C Larkan Trade Tokens

• Scott Balson's talk on the F C Larkan tokens given to the Pietermaritzburg Numismatic Society - 1977
  • Uncorroded F C Larkan tokens 1906 - 1929 (non-closet)

  • Engraved tokens representing other Larkan stores

  • Togt labour "bobbin" trade tokens issued by Percy Larkan 1940-1955

  • Letter received from Robert Percy Larkan: page one, page two.

  • Digging up the dunny/field toilet/closet  and uncovering "dual purpose" corroded F C Larkan tokens

  • F C Larkan mintages - still existing - counted by Balson in 1978

  • Audit of F C Larkan tokens in Balson Holdings Family Trust April 2005
    

4. Griqua research related materials 

• Scott Balson's 2006 tour of South Africa
• Scott Balson's 2007 tour of South Africa

• Overview of "The Griquas of South Africa and their Money" by Scott Balson

• Collection of Title Deeds, Letters and Documents

• Important historical figures in the Griqua History

• Over 200 Books and Griqua related publications

  • Top fifteen rarest (Griqua) books
  • Early Days - first hand reports and research
  • Burchell's comments on the Griquas in 1811 and 1812
  • The Missionaries - their published works and experiences
  • The settlers and travellers published pre1900 works
  • The settlers and travellers published post1900 works
  • Research based work on the Griquas
  • Easy reading books on the history of the Griquas
  • Numismatic books related to this web site
    
  • Map showing the location of trading stores in East Griqualand which issued trade tokens
  • Relief map of the Ongeluksnek Pass - traversed by the Griquas in 1862
  • Photographs taken in the Ongeluksnek Pass - 2007
    
  • Campbell's abridged important work of his first trip to S Africa which omits any reference to the Griquatown coins
    
    
• Books on the Griqua and their coinage by Scott Balson
  • Kence, the Trade Tokens of Strachan and Co (1978)
  • The Griquas of South Africa and their Money (2004)
  • Children of the Mist - Presentation Copies (2006)
  • Scott Balson's trip to S Africa to present the book (2006)
  • Children of the Mist - First Edition (2007)
    

"Scrooge" - James Cole doing his books

Matthy Esterhuysen's book
on the 1874 Burgerspond

Nelson Mandela - Griqua origins

The rare Griqutown penny

Research Materials and Interactive Pages

5. General information on collecting token coins

• Token Coins, Valuations, Type and History
  • Valuations and Valuing tokens
  • Their history and their types
  • Fuld Rarity Scale for categorising extremely rare coins
  • Serious collectors of Griqua token coins
    
    Open Forum on early South African Coins

  Coin and Bank Note Values and Valuations

• What is my coin worth?
• Grading Bank Notes
• Grading Coins
• Grading parameters of slabbed coins

6. General Related Research Materials on Griqua and S Africa

• MPEGs - original video/audio clips featuring Griquas
• Cape of Good Hope Land Grants (1677 - 1895)
• Graphical chart of history of South Africa's coinage (to 1932)
• Cyprea Moneta - "money" shell
• Detailed map of East Griqualand (1881) with major trading stores overlaid
• Geographic Aerial Map of S Africa and large aerial map of East Griqualand region
• William John Burchell's comments about Griquatown / Klaarwater (1811 - 1812)
• Letters related to research on the Griquas and their coinage
• Over 150 Books related to research on the Griquas and their coinage
• Treaties signed between the British Governors and the Griqua people (to 1884)
• The book: Donald Strachan: Autocrat of Umzimkulu
• The Standard Bank affirm the currency status of the Strachan co
• Top Five South African notes and coins for numismatists
• Actual circulation of Paul Kruger (1892 to 1902) coinage
• Two books and several documents from Judge Tom Mullins who researched the Mount Currie Express stamp (1874)
  
  eBooks:
  Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa, by David Livingstone
  Commando - the diary of a Boer by Deneys Reitz
  The Life of Africaner by Rev John Campbell
  
  Biographies:
• Biography on Andrew Abraham Stockenstrom Le Fleur the First
• Biography of Nelson Mandela
• Biography of Rev John Campbell
  Moffat's derisory comments of Rev John Campbell, the drunk
• Biography of Dr David Livingstone
• Biography of Robert Moffat
• Biography of Barney Barnato
• Diary of a Boer Commando - Deneys Reitz
  (Son of the Transvaal's State Secretary - F W Reitz)
  

7. Interactive Pages

• Latest additions and changes made to the web site
• Correspondence with Museums, Libraries and Numismatists
• Articles by Scott Balson
• You Say - guest's comments about this web site
• Frequently Asked Questions
• The ten rarest South African numismatic pieces in the Balson Holdings Family Trust collection
• Expansion of White settlement in South Africa
• Comment on the role of the Strachan and Co trade tokens in South African numismatics

Durban Bank five pound

1902 Veld Pond

Von Lettow Vorbeck - signed card


The famous "Tabora Pound"

Other Coins, Notes and Collectables

8. Other Bank Notes and Tokens

• Durban Club token (1860) - South Africa's first token coin
• Durban Bank £5 Bank Note (1864)
• The Montagu Bank £5 Bank Note (1861)
• Montagu Divisional Council Day Tokens
• Brink Brothers from Montagu - trade tokens

9. Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek Coinage and Bank Notes

• President D J Erasmus and Thomas Francois Burgers (1867 - 1874)
  • 1872 Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek Een Pond Note
  • 1874 Burgerspond

• Kruger Coins (1892 -1902) and Bank Notes
  • Who is Paul Kruger? - a snapshot of his life
  • Contemporary Boer war books and rare documents
  • Introduction to the Kruger coinage
  • 1892 Double Shafted Gold "ox" Pound
  • Extremely Rare 1893 Bechuanaland Border Police 1/- and 6d
  • A set of Kruger coins
  • Rare Mafeking Siege Notes, Newspapers and Bechuanaland Border Police tokens
  • Marshall Hole Currency Cards (Bulawayo)- August to October 1900
  • The 1900 Pretoria Bank Notes
  • The 1901 Pietersburg
  • The 1902 Te Veld bank notes
    More on the Boer War Notes
  • The 1902 Veld Pond
    The Story Behind the Veld Pond
    The Star newspaper (1927) on the Veld Pond
  • Trench Art Coins from the Boer war
  • Boer Prisoner of War Bank Notes
  • Naval Brigade Jacket and Binoculars used during the Boer War
  • The Boers last stand and German East Africa
  • Diary of a Boer Commando - Deneys Reitz
    (Son of the Transvaal's State Secretary - F W Reitz)

10. German East Africa (1912- 1918)

• A brief history of German East Africa
• 1915 Interim bank notes printed in the field of war
• Gun Metal coins from World war One
• The "Tabora Pound" - 15 Rupee Gold Coin
• 1917 Interim bank notes printed in the field of war
• Post card from von Lettow-Vorbeck
• What makes von Lettow-Vorbeck a remarkable man
• Friends of the Serengeti

11. Other Balson Holdings Family Trust numismatic collections

• A sample of old and interesting coins
• Classic rarity - 1959 Unc five shilling rated at 67 by ANACS
• Fijian coin and bank note collection 
  

• Coins actively sought by the Balson Holdings Family Trust

• Griqua and coin related