Authority
Volksraad of Nieuw Griqualand
Printer
Saul Solomon & Co., Cape Town [citation:2][citation:5][citation:7]
Quantity Printed
~20,000 [citation:4]
Surviving Examples
Less than a dozen [citation:6]
1868 Griqualand‑East £1 Note
One of the rarest and most dramatic stories in South African paper money – 20,000 notes printed for an independent Griqua state, never issued, and almost all destroyed in a fire and a book-burning. Fewer than a dozen survive today.
Key Facts
- Date: 1 January 1868 [citation:2][citation:5][citation:7]
- Denomination: £1 (One Pound)
- Format: Uniface, with state arms and Dutch text
- Printer: Saul Solomon & Co., Cape Town [citation:2][citation:5][citation:7]
- Motto: "Pro Rege Lege et Grege" – For King, Law and the People
- Overprint: "Mount Currie" on some examples [citation:4]
Historical Background – The Griqua Trek
After Adam Kok III led his Griqua people over the Drakensberg mountains in the early 1860s, they established a new homeland called Nieuw Griqualand (New Griqualand), later known as Griqualand East. Its capital was Kokstad, named in honour of their leader [citation:1][citation:8][citation:9]. The small state was populated overwhelmingly by pre-existing Xhosa-speaking peoples, with the Griqua forming only a tiny, politically dominant minority [citation:1][citation:8][citation:9].
The Griqua established a Raad (or Volksraad), a governing council of 12 members, which made decisions on behalf of the population [citation:1][citation:8][citation:9].
The Currency Experiment of 1867–1868
In 1867, inspired by the Bank of Durban's private banknotes, the Griqua Volksraad decided to issue its own paper currency [citation:1][citation:8][citation:9]. An issue of £10,000 in government paper was authorised, and approximately 20,000 one-pound notes were printed by Saul Solomon & Co. in Cape Town [citation:4][citation:5]. They were dated 1 January 1868 [citation:2][citation:5][citation:7].
The Design
The notes were uniface (printed on one side only) and featured the crowned state arms with ribbons bearing the legend "GOUVERNEMENT VAN / NIEUW GRIQUALAND". The Griqua motto, "Pro Rege Lege et Grege" (For King, Law and the People), was also displayed. Below, ten lines of legend appeared between two vignettes with the value [citation:4]. The reverse was left blank.
Why They Were Never Issued
A secretary named Brisley warned the Volksraad that the Griquas had no assets to guarantee redemption of the notes – they could not promise to exchange them in ten years' time [citation:4]. The notes were therefore never released. They were locked in a safe at the trading firm of Strachan & Co. in Umzimkulu by a reliable citizen named Donald Strachan [citation:4].
After the British annexed Griqualand East in 1874 and the death of Adam Kok III in 1875, the notes became worthless. The Raad's decision proved wise, but it left 20,000 notes sitting in a safe [citation:1][citation:4][citation:8].
The Destruction – The Book, the Fire, and the Mob
Around 1900, Reverend William Dower, the long-time missionary in Kokstad, planned to write a book about the Griqua people. He contacted Donald Strachan, who still had the now-worthless notes, and Strachan agreed to contribute a chapter. Dower proposed to include an original £1 note bound into each of 100 copies of his book [citation:4]. Strachan gave him the notes, and the remaining 19,900 were burned [citation:4].
The book, "The Early Annals of Kokstad and East Griqualand", was published in 1902 [citation:3][citation:4]. It was remarkably frank and did not always paint the Griqua characters in a flattering light. The Griqua community was incensed. Local newspapers published angry letters, and the populace was so outraged that a group of citizens broke into the church one night where the books were stored and burned them on the church steps [citation:4].
Carel Birkby, author of "Zulu Journey", visited Kokstad in 1935 and wrote:
"Thirty years ago Dower published a slim volume on his experiences among the Griquas. It is out of print now, and few copies exist, because the Griquas were so incensed at his true but uncomplimentary judgment on their character, and at his puckish jibes at them, that they destroyed every copy they could lay hands upon; and today the Kokstad library keeps its single copy under lock and key because otherwise some Griqua would probably rip it to pieces." [citation:3]
How Many Survive?
According to the most authoritative research:
- Six books with bank notes are in South African museums (including Killie Campbell Library in Durban, South African National Library in Pretoria, and Kokstad Library) [citation:3][citation:4].
- The British Library in London holds one copy [citation:3].
- Major institutions like the Library of Congress only have the 1978 reprint [citation:3].
- Two or three notes are in private hands, including two in the Balson Holdings Family Trust [citation:4][citation:6].
- Less than 20 copies of the book exist in total [citation:3].
- Unbound notes (without staple holes) are even rarer – only 2-3 are known [citation:4].
Auction Records and Values
| Date | Auction House | Description | Grade | Price Realized |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2007 | Noonans | Government of New Griqualand, One Pound, 1 January 1868, unissued, uniface, printed by Saul Solomon & Co (Pick S361a) [citation:5] | Very fine to good very fine | £2,000 [citation:5] |
| October 2016 | Geldscheine-Online | Restored example [citation:6] | Restored | £4,000 [citation:6] |
| April 2019 | Noonans | Government of New Griqualand, £1, 1 January 1868, no serial number, printed by Saul Solomon & Co, paper remnants and four spindle holes at top [citation:2] | Good extremely fine | £1,200 [citation:2] |
| 2024 | Spink (NY INC Auction 381) | Government of New Griqualand, South Africa, 1 pound, 1 January 1868, unissued, uniface, arms and bank title in elaborate panel top centre [citation:7] | Good fine | £3,000 [citation:7] |
Books containing notes: A copy of Dower's book with the original bank note bound in was offered for $2,135.20 (unsold) on eBay [citation:3]. Scott Balson, author of "Children of the Mist" and a leading Griqua historian, notes that the book with the note is conservatively valued at over US$10,000 [citation:3].
Sources
- Wikipedia – Griqualand East [citation:1][citation:8][citation:9]
- Noonans Mayfair auction archives (2007, 2019) [citation:2][citation:5]
- Scott Balson / PicClick – Early annals of Kokstad and East Griqualand [citation:3]
- SINCONA Auction 25 – Lot #2110 (Numismatic Rarities) [citation:4]
- geldscheine-online – Griqualand: Geldzeichen für ein indigenes Volk [citation:6]
- Spink Auction 381 – Lot 270 [citation:7]
- Dower, William. The Early Annals of Kokstad and East Griqualand (1902) [citation:3][citation:4]