During the second half of 1919, Ernest Oppenheimer, Chairman of the South African Anglo American Corporation, met with representatives of most of the larger German diamond companies in Holland.
With the financial backing of the Anglo American Corporation, Oppenheimer acquired all the assets of ten most prominent German companies for the sum of £3,500,000. With these he formed the Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa (CDM) on 9th February 1920.
Up until the 1920s diamond mining was concentrated in the central and northern part of the Sperrgebiet coast, principally around Kolmanskop, Bogenfels, Pomona and Lüderitzbucht. During this period the diamond industry enjoyed varying fortunes.
In 1927 diamond rich marine deposits were found at Alexander Bay followed a year later with those on the north bank of the Orange River. In 1928, the largest rough diamond ever to be found in South West Africa was discovered at Oranjemund. It weighed 246½ carats. Mining of the estimated 100 km long diamond bearing marine terrace began c.1930 on a small scale but was suspended between 1931 and 1935 during the depression.
In 1943 Oranjemund became the headquarters of the Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa, Ltd. (a subsidiary of De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd.)
In 1994 the company was reformed as Namdeb Diamond Corp., an equal partnership between the Namibian government and De Beers. Access to Oranjemund and adjacent areas is restricted by the diamond-mining company.
The town has no ocean port facilities but is connected to Alexander Bay, South Africa (across the Orange River), by a modern highway bridge. Air services from Alexander Bay indirectly connect Oranjemund with Windhoek, the capital of Namibia
About Tokens :
A Relatively Scares Token with the short dashes being the more scarcer ...
Hern page 66.
You can get a 1d,3d,6d,1/~,2/~, 2/6~ and a 10/~
They are all round with the exception of the 10/~ which is oval in shape and the 1d which was square. All were made of brass.
There are also celluloid tokens for bread and milk.
As with other de Beers mines these tokens were used in canteens and shops on premises in SWA diamond mines.
Sources:
All rights to http://www.on-the-rand.co.uk/Diamond%20Grounds/Sperrgebiet.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oranjemund
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