Unissued "Queen of Ghana" coin of 1959

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THE QUEEN'S POSTPONED VISIT TO GHANA

From Wikipedia:

Elizabeth II was Queen of Ghana from 1957 to 1960, when Ghana was an independent sovereign state and a constitutional monarchy.

The Queen said in her Christmas broadcast in 1958, that she and her husband would be visiting Ghana in late 1959. To celebrate the upcoming visit, the Ghanaian Government commissioned a new £2 coin with a new effigy of the Queen and the inscription "Queen of Ghana". However, the coin was never struck since the visit was postponed, as she had become pregnant in 1959.

In November 1959, Prince Philip paid a six-day visit to Ghana. Queen Elizabeth II visited the Republic of Ghana from 9 to 20 November 1961 and from 7 to 9 November 1999.

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I am very grateful to the Royal Mint Museum (UK) for providing the following images.

They illustrate some of the work involved in this unadopted coin issue.

All images are © The Royal Mint.

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Royal Mint instructions regarding the production of the proposed coin.

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A plaster model of the obverse of the proposed coin.

The portrait was the work of Humphrey Paget.

He had designed the UK numismatic portrait of King George VI.

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An electrotype of the piece.

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Reduction punches, matrices, and working punches for the proposed coins.

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The obverse of an example of a struck trial gold 2 pound coin.

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The reverse of an example of a struck trial gold 2 pound coin.

The reverse featured the splendid national coat of arms of Ghana.

This coat of arms is now seen on the modern coins of Ghana.

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An example of a test reverse, showing the Royal Mint's hallmark.

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These are splendid designs. The portrait of the young Queen must rank as one of the finest.

It is a pity that the coin was not reworked with a new date for the Queen's 1961 visit to Ghana.

[chrisild]

Yes, a good portrait. The CoA is a little busy in my opinion, but as you wrote, the country still uses it, so it must have its pros. Had to look the size and weight up, and came to 28.397 mm and 15.976 grams. Would not exactly have been a lightweight ... And I am happy that the mint shared that info with you!

[FosseWay]

I'm surprised at the Royal Mint committing such a solecism as to write "Elizabeth the Eleventh" on the piece! Look carefully at the regnal numeral. The characters should be the same as the I in ELIZABETH, but actually they are digits, 11.

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Strange. I hadn't noticed it. Shows that one sees what one expects to see.

[coinote]

It would be good if the country at that time issue a series of circulation coins featuring the Queen's portrait.

[GCVO]

It is a pity that the coin was not reworked with a new date for the Queen's 1961 visit to Ghana.

By 1961, she had become the former Queen of Ghana.