Rare (Fuld) Rarity Scale: R - 4).
General Merchants circa early 1900s.
These tokens were specifically coined to be used in the shops in lieu of cash. These were paid out to farmers bringing their cash crops to the retailer and these could then again be exchanged for other goods in the shop.
A cache of these tokens in near UNC condition was discovered in the 1970s.
It is unlikely these uncirculated pieces were ever used at the store.
The first shop in Klerksdorp was opened by James A (Alexander). Taylor in 1865. In 1870 he takes on a partner, Tomas Leask. Tomas Leask was to become one of the big businessmen of Klerksdorp. By 1872 business was booming to such an extent that the partners decided to open a second shop in Ventersdorp. Then in October 1876 they opened a third branch of Taylor and Leask General Dealers where the Kimberley/Pretoria stage coach route crossed the Makwassie Spruit.Sadly, shortly afterwards Taylor passed away .
A Statement made by Mr Taylor in Kimberly 1901 ....
In 1886 gold was discovered in the Klerksdorp District by M.G. Janse van Vuuren
Below is an interesting article sourced from Klerksdorp Museum ...
The Museum is housed in a sandstone prison building dating from 1891 that was built by the ZAR Department of Public Works on request of the local Klerksdorp authorities in reaction to the huge rise in crime rate after the discovery of gold in December 1885 and the gold rush that followed as of 1886. READ HERE
The original House of J A Taylor still exist today and is seen as "historical significance" (52 Hendrik Potgieter street , Old Town) This building was built in the 1890’s. Very few structural changes were made to the original exterior of the building.
More on Mr. Tomas Leask , Taylor's partner ... Thomas Leask (1839 - 1912) was a Scottish traveler and hunter. He was born in the Orkney Islands in 1839. He reached Natal in 1862 and began his travels in Mashonaland in 1866. In 1869 he went to the Zambezi River accompanied by dr. Calderley. The two were some of the first whites to see Victoria Falls. Leask was a personal friend of both Silkaats and Lobengula. He retired in 1870 and in Klerksdorp entered into a partnership with J Taylor, as Thomas Leask & Co. There he played a leading role in the discovery of the first gold, and in 1887 was elected the first president of the Clerk's Chamber of Mines. He died in 1912 in Scotland.
KLERKSDORP - The city was founded in 1837 or 1838[3] when the Voortrekkers settled on the banks of the Schoonspruit ("Clear stream"), which flows through the town. Klerksdorp is the oldest European (white) settlement north of the Vaal River, and thus of the former Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (Z.A.R) also known as the Transvaal Republic.
The most prominent of the first settlers was Hendrik Grobler who claimed a farm of about 160 km², called it Elandsheuwel ("Hill of the Eland"). He gave plots of land and communal grazing rights on this farm to other Voortrekkers in return for their labour in building a dam and an irrigation canal. This collection of smallholdings was later given the name of Klerksdorp in honour of the first landdrost (magistrate) of the area, Jacob de Clercq.
In November 1885 gold was discovered in the Klerksdorp district by M. G. Jansen van Vuuren as well as on the Witwatersrand, which lies about 160 km to the east. As a consequence, thousands of fortune-seekers descended on the small village, turning it into a town with 70 taverns and even a stock exchange of its own. This stock exchange opened its doors in 1888 and soon did a roaring trade, selling as much as the equivalent of R20 000 in one day.
About Tokens:: Tokens consists of a 1/~ Shilling , /6d and a /3d , they are all the same size of 25.5mm and 1.0mm thick . All made of Brass . They are mostly reeded with 1/~ variety of a smooth edge sometimes seen.
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