Nigeria: decimal and pre-decimal variations

[Galapagos]

Unadopted designs.

This is another set of scans from the National Archives, London.

Can you guess the country for which these unadopted designs were prepared?

The accompanying documentation did not name the designer of these sketches.

[Afrasi]

Cocoa nut and Volta dam, baobab and elephant: Ghana !!!


Afrasi

[Galapagos]

An intelligent guess, but no - try again! 

[Afrasi]

Sure!     The pyramides !

NIGERIA !!!!!

Afrasi

[Galapagos]

Correct! In my notes, I have recorded:

"Nigeria: Decimal Coinage 1966    20/3053.

Gives illustrations of proposed designs but no descriptions or designer names. The text refers to the physical specifications of the coins only."

There was another document I looked at, but the designs were not of a very high quality, so I didn't copy them:


"Nigeria: Order for Decimal Coinage; Designs 1969-73    20/4311.

These designs were by Geoffrey Colley.

The 5 cents was originally to show an African elephant; the 2½ cents an African white-breasted kingfisher; and the one cent coins a sokoto goat. 

However, the Nigerians were particularly keen that no animals should be depicted on the coins, though no reasons were given for this."

[chrisild]

Guess they wanted to present themselves as a modern country, hence the factory for example. I prefer the designs with all value digits having the same height, but the other ones look interesting ...

Christian

[Figleaf]

Somewhere in the "how about that" file that clogs up my memory is a note about some country that didn't want animals on coins because foreigners might think the locals would use these animals for food.

I wonder what the plant on the 5 cents with the pyramids is...

Peter

[Galapagos]

I wonder what the plant on the 5 cents with the pyramids is...

Peanuts, Peter.

Somewhere in the "how about that" file that clogs up my memory is a note about some country that didn't want animals on coins because foreigners might think the locals would use these animals for food.

That country was Malaysia. See "Rejected Malaysian Wildlife Set of 1966":

http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,3118.0.html


As regards Nigeria, the Northerners adhere to a religion that sometimes considers animals as unworthy of being incorporated in art - a belief that I find distasteful.

[Figleaf]

Peanuts, Peter.

I considered that, then rejected the thought because of this picture from Wikipedia:



I find it hard to see the hand holding roots, which I picture as less uniform and with many branches leading from a main branch, as shown on the design. I also considered and rejected soybeans. Maybe the designer did some stylizing, but I see no traces of that on the other designs.

Peter

[chrisild]

Peanuts is apparently right. This, for example, is the 25 kobo coin first issued in 1973:



You know what comes next? Right, the Schön.   It says: "Rev. Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea - Fabaceae) and Seco (peanuts packed in sacks and piled up in pyramid shape." And the 5c design in the first post looks pretty similar ...

Christian

[<k>]

Three pence.

Nigeria's first national coins were issued in 1959.

The country was then still a British colony.


The coins were denominated in pounds, shillings and pence.

They also carried an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

Nigeria became independent on 1st October 1960.


This photo is of a preliminary reverse design for the three pence.

It comes from the National Archives in London (catalogue reference MINT 20/2774).

The design shows a cotton plant and was created by Paul Vincze.

[<k>]

Alternative three pence design.

Here is a photo of the amended reverse design.

This was the one that was actually used.

Which do you prefer?

[<k>]

Head of the Commonwealth.

This sketch shows an idea for the obverse of the coin.

The crowned effigy of Elizabeth II (by Cecil Thomas) is encircled by the words:

"ELIZABETH II HEAD OF THE COMMONWEALTH".


Curiously, it does not say "Queen of Nigeria".

This designer clearly knew that independence for Nigeria was not far away.

[<k>]

Here you see the issued coin.

The Nigerian threepence weighed 3.3g.

It was 19mm in diameter and 1.4mm thick.


The British version weighed 6.8g.

It was 21.8mm in diameter and 2.6mm thick.

The Nigerian version was somewhat smaller, then.

[Figleaf]

Which do you prefer?

A really difficult question. Both are elegant designs on a well-chosen theme. My preference for the design actually used is marginal and rests on my impression that the rejected design looks more heraldic and the actually used design looks more modern (for the fifties.) I commend the person who asked Vincze "can you do that in a non-symmetrical design?" It must have taken some guts with such a nice design in front of you. Or did he submit both designs at the same time?

Peter