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1. The old series of banknotes with the face of Jan van Riebeeck printed on them. They retain their value and can be exchanged at the South African Reserve Bank Head Office. Source: www.resbank.co.za
On Valentine’s Day in 1961, a cartoon figure gave South Africa a gift we still use today: the Rand.
Decimal Dan ‘the rand-cent man’ would have fitted right in on the trading floor of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) with his suit – apart from his hat, bowtie and waistcoat with the gaudy Rand sign on.
He was the mascot that formed part of the public relations campaign to help South Africa’s 15-million population at the time with the switch from the South African Pound, which was modelled on the British Pound Sterling, to the new Rand and the decimal system with 100 cents in one Rand. The PR campaign was also run in print media and about three million flyers were printed and pinned up on public notice boards in banks, parks and post offices.