The Stack’s Bowers Galleries Official World currency auction
at the ANA World’s Fair of Money in August is shaping up to be another great
sale. Many rarities will cross the auction block, one of which is a South
Africa P-S655b 1900 1 Pound note graded Choice Uncirculated 64 by PMG.
This series of notes was issued by Colonel Robert S.S.
Baden-Powell during the Siege of Mafeking during the Second Boer War. This 1
Pound note is the scarcer "b" variety, with PMG having graded just
two examples of this variety at the time of cataloging. It sits atop PMG’s pop
report for the variety and offers exquisite detail any collector would be proud
to showcase in their collection. The embossed stamp offers punch through
detail, and blue tinted paper remains bold and accentuates the penned details
of the signatures and serial numbers. The primary design displays a Union Jack
flying above a howitzer nicknamed "wolf," with Baden-Powell standing
next to the gun emplacement, with an armed man at left, a woman at right and a
sharpshooter at far right defending the siege line.
The Siege of Mafeking began on October 13, 1899, and lasted
for an astounding 217 days. Colonel Robert Baden-Powell led the defense of the
besieged town against the Boers, resisting urges to abandon the town or to
launch a break-out. The defenders consisted mainly of Rhodesian troops. Things
were desperate for the soldiers and civilians inside the town, with reports of
mounted soldiers having to eat their own horses. The siege was finally lifted
on May 17, 1900, when nearly 2,000 British soldiers under the Command of
Colonel B.T. Mahon defeated the Boer garrison besieging the town. Robert
Baden-Powell was regarded as a national hero in England after the war. He is
often best remembered today for his guidance in starting the Boy and Girl Scout
movements.
The Stack’s Bowers Galleries August ANA consignment deadline
is fast approaching. To consign your world paper money to a future sale,
contact a consignment specialist at 800-458-4646 or visit StacksBowers.com. For
more information on viewing lots or for assistance in registering to bid, email
your inquiry to: [email protected].
