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Analysis of Ghana's modern coinage

Started by <k>, August 23, 2023, 10:23:50 PM

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<k>



Ghana, 3 pence, 1958.


Ghana introduced the Ghanaian pound in 1958. It also issued its first modern coinage in 1958.

The coins consisted of a bronze penny and half penny, and a copper-nickel 3 pence, 6 pence, 1 shilling and 2 shillings.

All the coins were round, apart from the 3 pence coin, which was scalloped.


The common obverse featured a portrait of Prime Minister (later President) Kwame Nkrumah.

The common reverse featured the African star of freedom, which appeared on Ghana's flag.

This predecimal  coinage was issued with the date 1958 only.


See:  Circulation sets with a common obverse and a common reverse.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#1
FIRST DECIMAL COINAGE

Ghana 1965 set.jpg

Ghana, coinage of 1965.


In 1965 Ghana dropped the Ghanaian pound and adopted a decimal currency.


The first cedi (1965-1967) was introduced in July 1965.

It was equivalent to 8 shillings and 4 pence, or 100 old pence.


The cedi was subdivided into 100 pesewas.

1 pesewa was now equal to 1 penny.



The new coinage designs followed the format of the old designs.

The common obverse showed the portrait of President Nkrumah.

This time he was shown in Ghanaian clothes.


The common reverse showed the African star of freedom, as before.

This gave the coinage a sense of continuity.


The four denominations were all made of copper-nickel.

They were all round, apart from the scalloped 5 pesewas coin.


This cedi coinage was issued with the date 1965 only.


See:  Circulation sets with a common obverse and a common reverse.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

OVERTHROW OF PRESIDENT NKRUMAH

In February 1966, Nkrumah's government was overthrown in a violent coup d'état.

After 1965, no president of Ghana was ever portrayed on the circulation coinage.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

SECOND DECIMAL COINAGE

From Wikipedia:

The first cedi was replaced in 1967 by a "new cedi", which was worth 1.2 first cedis. This allowed a decimal conversion with the pound, namely 2 second cedis = 1 pound. The change also provided an opportunity to remove Kwame Nkrumah's image from coins and notes.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

COINAGE OF THE SECOND CEDI

Ghana 1967 set.jpg

Obverse of the new coinage of 1967.


The president no longer appeared on the obverse of the coins.

His portrait was replaced by two new designs.


Bush drums were featured on the bronze half and 1 pesewa coins.

Cocoa pods were depicted on the 2½, 5, 10 and 20 pesewas coins.

There are other coinages where one common design is assigned for each metal.


The 2½ pesewas coin was scalloped.

It was not issued after 1967.

Ghana issued no other scalloped coin after 1967.


I count only 8 scalloped current circulation coins worldwide.

The scalloped form looks rather old-fashioned nowadays.

However, I regard the Spanish flower as scallop-lite:)
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

Ghana 1967 set-.jpg

Reverse of the new coinage of 1967.


Like the obverse, the reverse had two different designs.

Again, a common design was assigned per metal used.


The bronze coins carried over the star design from the previous set.

This was design continuity in action once more.

The star had now been a fixture across three different coinages.


The copper-nickel coins had a new common design.

It featured the national shield of arms.

This was the first time that it had appeared on the coinage.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#6
A CRITIQUE OF THE GHANAIAN COIN SERIES OF 1967

Some years ago, I took a long look at the Ghanaian coin series of 1967.

It seemed to me that, in terms of the designs, something was not right.


The designs themselves are competent, though nothing out of the ordinary.

Strangely, though, the national symbols appear on the reverse.


The national symbols are the national shield of arms and also the star from Ghana's flag

Such symbols usually appear on the obverse.


The figurative or representational (thematic) subjects usually appear on the reverse.

Here they appear on the obverse.


These coins do not carry a human portrait.

We therefore identify the obverse as the side that carries the country name.

That country name here is found on the side that shows the thematic subjects.

Thematic subjects are usually shown on the reverse.


For a long time there was something about this set that didn't click with me.

Eventually I realised what was wrong.

The obverse designs should appear on the reverse, and vice versa.

It's as simple as that.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#7
MY SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS TO THE 1967 COIN SERIES







My suggested design amendments.


Read my critique of the 1967 coin series in the post above.

As a result, I decided to photoshop the actual designs.


The images shown here put my ideas into action.

My images are not perfect, but I did my best.

I forgot to add the year to the 20 pesewas reverse!


I believe these amendments are an improvement on the issued coins.

I am surprised that RMAC did not suggest similar amendments.


RMAC is the Royal Mint Advisory Committee that advises on coin design.

I refer here to the Royal Mint of the UK, which produced the 1967 coins and their designs.


There are no strict rules with regard to coin design.

Most design series tend to follow certain patterns, however.


Anomalies do occur, but these make coin design more interesting.

I do regard this 1967 series as somewhat anomalous.

Do you agree that my suggested changes would have been an improvement?


See:  Circulation sets with poorly unified design.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#8
THE DISAPPEARING STAR DESIGNS




The star on the reverse of the 1 pesewa coin of 1967.


In my photoshopped examples in the prior post, I did not include the star designs on the coin reverses.

I do not believe that they would have looked well on the obverse.

I would have created a common obverse of the coat of arms.


Nor would I have retained the stars on the reverse of the coins.

I would have used a suitable new thematic design instead.


The half pesewa was minted in 1967 only.

The 1 pesewa coin was minted until 1979.

Those were the two coins showing a star on the reverse.


In the 1980s, the 5 pesewas coin became the lowest denomination.

It showed the shield of arms on the reverse.


All new denominations of coins from 1979 onward carried the shield of arms on the reverse.

At this point, I would have transferred the shield of arms to the obverse.

As the common obverse, it would have shown the national motto.

That motto appeared on the issued obverse.


The year and denomination would have been left on the reverse.

They would have accompanied the thematic design on the reverse.

That would have been my ideal, but it did not happen.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#9
THE 1970s: NEW COINS, NEW METALS, AND A NEW SHAPE



Ghana, 50 pesewas, 1979.





Ghana, 1 cedi, 1979.


Two new coins were issued in 1979.

These were the 50 pesewas and 1 cedi coins.

Both were made of aluminium-bronze.

This added a new yellowish colour to some of the coinage.


The 1 cedi coin was Ghana's first heptagonal coin.

The shape helped this first 1 cedi coin to stand out.

Fittingly, the first cedi coin also had a brand new design of a cowrie shell.


Both coins were large. The 1 cedi had a diameter of 30mm.

The round 50 pesewas coin had a diameter of 32 mm.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#10
THE 1980s: SIZE REDUCTION AND A NEW DENOMINATION




The round 1 cedi coin of 1984 kept the cowrie design.



The 1970s had been a time of high inflation throughout much of the world.

Extra denominations were followed by higher metal prices in the 1980s.

These two factors triggered a worldwide trend towards smaller coins.


In Ghana, the two large new coins of 1979 were reduced in size.

Their replacements were issued in 1984.


The diameter of the 50 pesewas coin shrank from 32 mm to 16.5 mm.

The diameter of the 1 cedi coin shrank from 30 mm to 19 mm.


The new 5 cedis coin, also issued in 1984, was only 22 mm in diameter.

It was given one of the pre-existing thematic designs, namely the bush drums.

The three new coins were all made of nickel-brass.


The 1 cedi coin of 1984 was now round, not heptagonal.

This meant that all Ghana's coins were now round for the first time.

However, the heptagon would arise again in the 1990s.





The bush drums again, on the 5 cedis coin of 1984. 

After 1979, new denominations did not receive new designs.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

THE DISAPPEARING DENTICLES



Ghana, 50 pesewas, 1979.  With denticles.





Ghana, 50 pesewas, 1984.  Without denticles.


Ghana's coins of 1958 all had beads around the inner rim.

The only exception was the scalloped 3 pence coin.


Ghana's coins of 1965 all had denticles around the inner rim.

A denticle is a small tooth-shaped object.


Ghana's coins of 1967 to 1979 also had denticles around the inner rim.

The only exceptions were the polygonal coins.

These were the scalloped 2½ pesewas (1967) and the heptagonal 1 cedi (1979).


In the 1980s, no new coin type had beads or denticles.

Denticles look rather old-fashioned nowadays.


See:  Beads and dentillations on coins.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

COINAGE OF THE 1990s

Ghana's inflation rate increased significantly in the 1990s.

It peaked at almost 60% in 1995.


As a result, six new high denomination coins were issued.

These were the 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 cedi coins.


Once a country issues a 500 unit coin, the end is in sight.

A redenomination and new coinage will be needed before long.


The 1990s were indeed the final decade for coins of the second cedi.

No new coinage types for the second cedi were minted after 1999.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#13
DENOMINATIONS:  FROM WORDS TO NUMERALS




Ghana, 5 cedis, 1984.

Before 1990, the coins' denominations were always shown in words.





Ghana, 5 cedis, 1991.




Ghana, 20 cedis, 1991.

From 1990 onwards, the denominations were shown in numerals and words.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

THE RETURN OF THE HEPTAGON



Ghana, 10 cedis, 1991.





Ghana, 200 cedis, 1998.


The first heptagon had been the 1 cedi coin issued in 1979 only.

Now the 1990s saw two new heptagons enter Ghana's coinage.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.