On July 3, 1967, Oom Paul minted the first Krugerrand. The coin press, built in Berlin in 1891, had already struck gold coins of the South African Republic, British sovereigns, and South African cent pieces. It survived the closure of the mint for which it had originally been acquired.
Collectors encounter her name today on, among other things, the 2024 “Final Oom Paul Krugerrands.” This special edition features the old press itself as a small mint mark on the coin. However, its story begins far from South Africa, in a Berlin machine factory.
Short answer: What is Oom Paul?
The Oom Paul is a coin press built in Berlin in 1891 by Ludwig Loewe & Co., acquired for the state mint of the then South African Republic in Pretoria. It is named after President Paul Kruger. The first Krugerrand was minted on it in 1967. Today it is housed in the museum of the South African Reserve Bank in Pretoria.
From Berlin to Church Square in Pretoria
Following the discovery of gold in the Johannesburg area in 1886, the South African Republic was to have its own mint. In 1890, its parliament, the Volksraad, granted a concession to establish a national bank and operate a state mint. This was built in Church Square in Pretoria. The abbreviation ZAR stands for the Dutch name of the country, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (South African Republic).
The equipment included the press built by Ludwig Loewe & Co. in Berlin, which we know today as Oom Paul. “Oom Paul” means “Uncle Paul” and was the nickname of President Paul Kruger. The machine was built in 1891.
The beginning of coin minting in Pretoria is less clear. In a historical review, the South African Mint cites July 6, 1892, as the date of the first coin minted on Oom Paul. However, Pierre H. Nortje, in his research for the Western Cape Numismatic Society, attributes this date to the laying of the foundation stone of the bank and mint building. According to him, its official opening followed in April 1893.
Nortje presents differing accounts from 1892 and 1893 regarding the actual start of coin production. Therefore, a definitive date for the first coinage cannot be determined. The laying of the foundation stone, the opening of the building, and the commencement of minting operations must be distinguished.
The Oom Paul press was originally steam-powered. Later, it was converted to electric power. The blanks, the unstamped metal pieces, still had to be inserted by hand.
From Pond coins to British sovereigns
According to the South African Mint, more than eight million coins were minted at Oom Paul until the state mint closed in 1900. These included Pond and Half Pond coins, as well as the unusual gold threepence pieces known as “Sammy Marks Tickeys.” However, the Republic’s first Kruger coins were minted in Berlin: a coin dated 1892 therefore does not necessarily originate from Pretoria.
With the British occupation of Pretoria in 1900, the state mint on Church Square closed. The South African Mint’s historical overview does not indicate where the presses were stored between 1900 and 1923.
When a branch of the British Royal Mint opened in Pretoria in 1923, Oom Paul was put back into service, this time on Visagie Street. According to the South African Mint, another press from Berlin served as a source of spare parts. British gold sovereigns were later also produced on Oom Paul. The machine, which had been acquired for minting coins for a Boer republic, now worked for the British Royal Mint.
1947, 1961 and the first Krugerrand from 1967
Further special commissions followed. For the visit of the British royal family in 1947, Oom Paul minted special Crown coins. When South Africa introduced its decimal currency in 1961, the first 1-cent pieces came off the old press.
The first Krugerrand was issued on July 3, 1967. The South African Mint mentions this date in its retrospective on the gold coin’s 50th anniversary; NGC describes Oom Paul’s involvement in the first Krugerrand mintings. We explain the coin’s origins and its original concept of one troy ounce of gold in our article on the first Krugerrand issue .
Via Gold Reef City to Centurion
In 1986, Oom Paul left the mint on Visagie Street in Pretoria and moved to Gold Reef City in Johannesburg. There, it was installed in the “Johannesburg Mint.” The building was a scaled-down replica of the former Royal Mint in Pretoria.
The press remained in operation. Krugerrand coins bearing the mint mark GRC were produced on it at Gold Reef City. The letters stand for Gold Reef City. More information about the coins minted there and the development of the company can be found in our article on the GRC Gold Reef City Mint .
In 1996, Oom Paul returned to the South African Mint, this time to Centurion. There, he opened Coin World, an exhibition on South African coinage history. Visitors could see the old press in operation. Later, it was also used to produce bimetallic 5-rand coins bearing the mint mark CW. The two letters are a reminder of Coin World.
The “Final Oom Paul Krugerrands” of 2024
For 2024, the South African Mint announced the “Final Oom Paul Krugerrands” as a farewell edition. The gold coins were issued in proof quality and in two sizes. The mintage figures were deliberately chosen: According to distributor AMS, both sizes commemorate 1967, the year of the first Krugerrand.
| fine gold weight | Print run limit | Reference to 1967 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ounce | 670 copies | AMS, together with the quarter ounce, refers to 1967. |
| ¼ ounce | 1,967 copies | Corresponds to the year of the first Krugerrand coinage. |
Both versions are made of the 22-karat gold alloy standard for gold Krugerrands. The stated ounce weight indicates the pure gold content; the total weight of the coins is higher due to the copper content.
The distinctive feature is a privy mark with a small depiction of the press and the year 1892. The South African Mint, in its issue description, refers to this year as the date of the first strikes produced by the press, not the year of manufacture (1891). According to NGC, the privy mark design was engraved by hand.
According to the trade magazine Coin World, both sizes were minted on Oom Paul.
A concrete example is the 1-ounce gold coin “Finale Oom Paul Krugerrands” from 2024, featuring the NGC PF70 Ultra Cameo, which we have presented here. Its NGC label also bears the inscription “First Day of Issue.” This information refers to the coin’s release; it does not specify a particular minting date.
Oom Paul at the Museum of the Central Bank of South Africa
On June 19, 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa inaugurated the South African Reserve Bank Museum on the grounds of its headquarters in Pretoria. Oom Paul is among the historical objects on display there. The central bank identifies the “Church Heritage” section of the museum as the location for the exhibit. This marked the press’s return to Pretoria after stops in Johannesburg and Centurion.
At the opening ceremony, Ramaphosa himself minted a coin featuring Oom Paul, as documented in the Central Bank’s photo report. Governor Lesetja Kganyago also confirmed in his speech that the press was still functioning. The documented minting shows that Oom Paul continued to be used even after the farewell issue of 2024.
Conclusion
For collectors, Oom Paul leads to a wide variety of coins: the Pond coins of the Central African Republic, British Sovereigns, GRC Krugerrands, and the special 2024 issue. However, for older pieces, a matching minting year is not enough to attribute them to a specific mint. This requires proof of origin for the particular specimen or a clearly defined issue.
With the “Final Oom Paul Krugerrands,” the privy mark and the official issue description clearly indicate the connection to the machine. Anyone collecting such a coin should therefore also keep the original certificate and packaging. These are part of the issue and provide verifiable proof of its origin.
What remains of a mint when it disappears? In the case of the State Mint at Church Square, the answer is still tangible today: it closed in 1900, but one of its presses, Oom Paul, survived. A coin was still being struck on it as recently as June 2026. The same question leads to our article about the Pobjoy Mint . There, in 2024, the operating equipment was offered for sale, including a German Grabener MPU-156HS press from 1991.
Frequently Asked Questions about Oom Paul
Was Oom Paul its own mint?
Oom Paul is the name of a single coin press. It initially operated at the South African Republic’s State Mint in Church Square, Pretoria, from 1923 at the Royal Mint branch on Visagie Street, from 1986 at Gold Reef City, and from 1996 at Coin World in Centurion. Today it is located in the South African Reserve Bank Museum in Pretoria.
Why does the year 1892 appear on the privy mark?
According to the South African Mint’s description of the issue, 1892 commemorates the first coins struck on the press. The mint itself was built in 1891. This explanation of the mint mark is distinct from the question of historical dating: There are conflicting accounts regarding the precise start of minting operations in Pretoria.
What does “First Day of Issue” mean at NGC?
NGC links this designation, among other things, to acquisition within one day of the first availability of a new issue and to specific submission deadlines. It does not confirm a specific production date and should not be confused with “First Day of Production”.
Was Oom Paul permanently shut down after 2024?
No. At the museum’s opening on June 19, 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa minted a coin featuring Oom Paul. This documents a commitment to producing Krugerrands after the final issue. The designation “Final Oom Paul Krugerrands” referred to the announced last Krugerrand issue, as reported in the press.
About the author
Dirk Wasserthal is co-founder and managing director of Wasserthal RareCoin.Store. He specializes in modern numismatic gold coins, rare years, certified collector coins, and the history of their mints and markets.
Transparency note
Wasserthal RareCoin.Store deals in rare modern gold coins, including Krugerrand issues. This post links to a dedicated product page for the 2024 “Final Oom Paul Krugerrand” issue. The example shown there serves as a specific illustration of the special edition described. This does not imply any prediction of the future value of individual coins.
The historical information is based on publications from the South African Mint, the South African Reserve Bank, and the DITSONG Museum, supplemented by research from Pierre H. Nortje for the Western Cape Numismatic Society. Any discrepancies regarding early minting operations are noted in the text. For this special edition, NGC, numismatic journals, and information from the distributor AMS were also consulted. The numbered sources explain which details they support and where discrepancies exist.
Sources and further documents
1. South African Mint: Home to Oom Paul .
Historical overview of origin, mintings, and locations. Mentions two Berlin presses and the use of one of them as a source of spare parts; for the differing number of three, see source 17. A storage location for the years between 1900 and 1923 is not mentioned.
2. South African Mint: Museum returned to mint condition: The South African Mint reopens Coin World Museum after extensive renovations , October 15, 2018.
Official announcement regarding the reopening of Coin World. Documents the naming after Paul Kruger, the year of construction 1891, and the conversion from steam to electric power.
3. South African Mint: Retail – Coin World .
Description of the exhibition and the visitor coins. Source for the manual insertion of the blanks and the use of the press at Coin World. The location information reflects the previous state at Centurion.
4. South African Mint: History of the Krugerrand , Newsletter for the anniversary year 2017.
The section on the history of the Krugerrand mentions July 3, 1967 as the date of the first minting and explains the original coin concept with one troy ounce of gold.
5. South African Mint: 2024 Oom Paul Krugerrands .
Official description of the special one-ounce and quarter-ounce issues, including design, technical coin data, and information on the use of the press. The mint explains the year 1892 on the privy mark as indicating the first mintings. For the historical dating, see source 16.
6. NGC: NGC Honored to Certify the Last Ever Krugerrands to Be Struck on Historic Press! , February 9, 2024.
This publication, labeled “Promotional Article,” concerns the special edition, the engraving of the mint mark in the stamp, and the NGC designation “Final Oom Paul Krugerrands.” The article compares the original farewell announcement with later publications from the Central Bank.
7. Jeff Starck, Coin World: Krugerrands to be final strikes on historic press , March 12, 2024.
Technical report on the two proof issues. Confirms the print runs of 670 and 1,967 copies and explicitly states that both sizes were minted on the Oom-Paul press.
8. AMS, published via Newswire: Announcement of Acquisition of Distribution of the Oom Paul Krugerrands 2024 , February 5, 2024.
The distributor’s press release regarding the edition places both editions in the context of the first Krugerrand year, 1967. The release does not provide a separate explanation for the number 670.
9. South African Reserve Bank: The South African Reserve Bank marks a milestone with the launch of its museum , 19 June 2026.
Official announcement regarding the opening of the museum on the headquarters site of the Central Bank in Pretoria and the inclusion of the historic coin press in the exhibition.
10. South African Reserve Bank: Photo report on the museum opening and the coinage ceremony by President Ramaphosa , June 2026.
A post on the central bank’s official LinkedIn account documents that Ramaphosa minted a coin commemorating Oom Paul at the opening ceremony. The location is clearly stated in the full post: “is kept in the Church Heritage section of the museum.”
11. Lesetja Kganyago, South African Reserve Bank: Speech at the opening of the headquarters site and museum , 19 June 2026, PDF.
On page 3, the governor explicitly confirms that the historic mint is still functioning.
12. NGC: NGC Releases Designations .
Official explanation of the additional designations and their requirements. Basis for distinguishing between “First Day of Issue” and proof of the actual minting date.
13. CoinsWeekly: A Highly Unusual Auction: Assets from Pobjoy Mint for Sale , February 8, 2024.
Report on the sale of Pobjoy’s operating equipment. Documents the Grabener MPU-156HS, manufactured in 1991, mentioned in the brief comparison.
14. Honey Mamabolo, South African Mint: National Heritage Day – Message from the MD .
The mint’s publication for Heritage Day states July 6, 1892, as the date of the first coinage on Oom Paul. This date is presented in the article as the mint’s own information and compared with Nortje’s differing account in source 16.
15. Jan van den Bos, DITSONG National Museum of Cultural History: Treasures from the Past: A Significant Cultural Place , February 15, 2022.
Contribution by the museum curator to the history of the former mint building, based on documents from the South African National Archives. Documents the new location on Visagie Street in Pretoria.
16. Pierre H. Nortje, Western Cape Numismatic Society: The ZAR Coinage of 1892 – Part 1: Some anomalies regarding the issues , December 2023.
Distinguishes between the laying of the foundation stone on July 6, 1892, the building’s opening in April 1893, and the conflicting accounts of the start of minting. It also explains the initial production of Kruger coins in Berlin. The older publications cited therein are reproduced here according to Nortje’s analysis.
17. Pierre H. Nortje, Western Cape Numismatic Society: The ZAR Coinage of 1892 – Part 2 , December 15, 2023.
The article compares, among other things, the South African Mint’s statement of two Berlin presses with a report that mentions three. The total number of presses delivered is therefore not specified in the article.
Editorial status: September 3, 2026.
