Item number: A2652

Year: AD 1947

Material: Silver (.500)

Size: 38.5 x 38.5 x 2.6 mm

Weight: 28.1 g

Manufactured by: South Africa Mint, Pretoria

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is a 5 shilling silver coin minted in AD 1947 by the South African Mint in Pretoria and issued by the Union of South Africa.

The obverse features a left-facing portrait of King George VI of the United Kingdom. Encircling the portrait is the Latin inscription “GEORGIVS VI REX IMPERATOR”, meaning “George VI, Emperor of India”. Beneath the neckline appears the small inscription “H.P.”, the signature of sculptor Thomas Humphrey Paget. In AD 1936, following the abrupt abdication of Edward VIII, Paget was commissioned to prepare a new portrait of the king for coinage within one month. This design, featured on the present coin, later came to be regarded as a “20th-century classic”. That same year, Paget also designed the reverse of the British halfpenny featuring the Golden Hind, which likewise achieved iconic status. Over his career, Paget produced numerous coin and medal designs both domestically and internationally, and is recognised as one of the most prolific sculptors of the 20th century.

The reverse depicts a rightward-running springbok on open grassland. Around the edge appears the bilingual inscription “SUID-AFRIKA · 1947 · SOUTH AFRICA”, rendered in Afrikaans and English respectively. Below the springbok is the signature “CLS”, referring to sculptor Coert Laurens Steynberg. Though renowned for his monumental portrait sculptures, Steynberg’s springbok design became equally beloved and was reused extensively on South African coinage from AD 1947 into the 1980s.

The Union of South Africa was established in AD 1910 through the unification of the Cape Colony, Natal Colony, Orange River Colony, and Transvaal Colony, forming a self-governing dominion within the British Empire. Governed primarily by the white minority, the Union implemented racial segregation policies that severely restricted the political and economic rights of Black, Coloured, and Indian populations. After the National Party came to power in AD 1924, more stringent segregationist measures were introduced, entrenching white supremacy and systematically disenfranchising non-white citizens. In AD 1961, amid mounting criticism from within the Commonwealth regarding its apartheid policies, South Africa withdrew and declared itself the Republic of South Africa. Following this, international sanctions intensified, increasing economic and political pressure. During the 1980s, internal resistance and global opposition forced the government to initiate reforms. In AD 1990, anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was released and began negotiations with then-President F.W. de Klerk. These efforts culminated in the formal abolition of apartheid in AD 1994 and the country’s first multiracial democratic election, in which Mandela was elected president, marking a new era for the Republic of South Africa.

物件編號: A2652

年代: 公元 1947 年

材質: 銀 (500‰)

尺寸: 38.5 x 38.5 x 2.6 mm

重量: 28.1 g

製造地: 南非鑄幣廠，普勒托利亞

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚於公元1947年，由普勒托利亞南非鑄幣廠鑄造，南非聯邦發行的5先令銀幣。

銀幣的正面是英國國王喬治六世的左側肖像。周圍環繞拉丁文「GEORGIVS VI REX IMPERATOR」，即「喬治六世，印度皇帝」。肖像頸下有小字「H.P.」，為雕塑家托馬斯·漢弗萊·佩吉特(Thomas Humphrey Paget)的署名。公元1936年，愛德華八世匆促遜位後，佩吉特受命於一個月內，為新英王喬治六世準備新硬幣的圖像，即該硬幣的肖像。日後，這幅肖像被譽為「20世紀的經典」。同年為英國本土設計的半便士銅幣，其背面的金鹿號也同樣成為了經典，被一再複用。佩吉特的職業生涯為國內外創作硬幣、勳章無數，是20世紀最多產的雕刻師之一。

銀幣的背面為於草原上朝右奔跑的跳羚。周圍環繞阿非利卡語和英語「SUID-AFRIKA · 1947 · SOUTH AFRICA」，均為同樣的意思。跳羚右下方「CLS」，為雕塑家庫特·勞倫斯·斯泰恩貝格(Coert Laurens Steynberg)的署名。斯泰恩貝格以創作巨大人像雕塑而聞名，但他於硬幣上設計的跳羚圖案也廣受喜愛。公元1947年起到1980年代，他的設計於南非硬幣上被一再的使用。

南非聯邦(Union of South Africa)成立於公元1910年，由英國將好望角殖民地、納塔爾殖民地、奧蘭治河殖民地和德蘭士瓦殖民地合併而成，成為大英帝國內部的自治領。南非聯邦實行種族隔離政策，主要由白人統治，黑人、混血人種和印度人受到嚴格的政治與經濟限制。公元1924年南非國民黨(National Party)執政後，長期推動更嚴苛的種族隔離措施，並加強南非白人至上主義，系統性地剝奪非白人公民權利。公元1961年，由於英聯邦內部對南非種族隔離政策的批評，最終南非脫離英聯邦獨立，成立南非共和國(Republic of South Africa)。南非共和國成立後，國際社會對其種族隔離政策加強制裁，導致經濟與政治壓力不斷上升。公元1980年代，國內外的抵制運動與經濟困境迫使南非政府開始改革，公元1990年黑人民權運動家納爾遜·曼德拉(Nelson Mandela)獲釋，並與當時的總統F.W. 德克勒克(F.W. de Klerk)展開談判，最終導致公元1994年種族隔離制度正式結束，舉行南非首場不分種族的民主選舉，曼德拉當選總統，南非共和國進入新時代。