The 2019 ‘South African Inventions’ theme features the history, invention and development of polymer putty as well as its journey to the moon. Invented by South African George Montague (Monty) Pratley, the world famous Pratley Putty was developed in the 1960’s as an insulator and an adhesive agent for fixing brass terminals which were located inside cast iron cable junction boxes.
This putty was used on the Ranger spacecraft produced and flown to study the moon. This American spacecraft was the first to land on the moon and thus helped lay the groundwork for the successful moon landing and safe return of a human during the NASA Apollo XI mission.
The South African Mint celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing with the ‘South African inventions’ series, focusing on the only South African product to ever go to the moon, Pratley Putty.
This series was launched in 2016, to highlight globally relevant inventions and firsts by South Africans. The dolos was the first invention to be featured, followed by the first successful human-to-human heart transplant in 2017, and Computed Tomography or CT scan on 2018.
 
The tickey shows a portion of Africa, with South Africa prominently displayed in the foreground, together with the surface of the moon. Also depicted is the Ranger spacecraft (which crashed on the moon) along with the initials ‘GMP’ in acknowledgment of the inventor of polymer putty, George Montague Pratley, and the denomination.