A rare piece of South African sporting history, an original 1995 Rugby World Cup winner’s medal presented by Nelson Mandela to Springbok loose forward Adriaan Richter, has been sold for R62,500 in a live auction. The Old Johannesburg Warehouse Auctioneers listed the medal with a starting bid of R30,000 and an estimated value of between R40,000 and R100,000. The medal, described on the site as a “very rare original Rugby World Cup 1995 winners’ medal”, is a large gold-gilded silver piece made from 999 purity silver, measuring 6.5cm in diameter.
It still includes its original ribbon and presentation case, and is inscribed to Richter, who was part of the iconic 1995 squad and captained the Boks in their pool match against Romania in Cape Town. The now 59-year-old Richter did not feature in the historic 15-12 final win over New Zealand at Ellis Park but played a significant role throughout the tournament. He led the Springboks in their 21-8 victory over Romania, scoring two tries, and started at No.
8 in the 20-0 win over Canada in Port Elizabeth, where he scored another brace. He made his final Test appearance as a replacement in South Africa’s 42-14 quarter-final win over Samoa. Beyond his Springbok contributions, Richter was a long-time stalwart on the provincial rugby scene.
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He began his career at Transvaal (now the Lions) in 1988 before going on to play more than 100 games for Northern Transvaal. Another rare piece linked to the 1995 triumph also went under the hammer: a bronzed metal and marble Rugby World Cup winner’s trophy depicting two players contesting a high ball. Presented to Richter in a fitted case, it was estimated at R30,000 to R60,000.
It was sold for R34,000. The auction house noted that the presentation case was missing its Krugerrand. Both items form part of the limited memorabilia connected to South Africa’s 1995 World Cup victory, which is a moment deeply etched into the country’s sporting and political history.
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