Coinage of Equatorial Guinea

Started by <k>, October 05, 2020, 04:39:12 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

<k>



A closer look at the reverse of the 5 ekuele coin.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#16
THE ETYMOLOGY OF EKUELE

« ekpele » = accounting unit for the iron money of the Fang / Beti peoples, in the form of hoes, spear heads or axes.

Note: « ekuele » and « ekwele (pl. bipkwele ») are erroneous renderings of « ekpele / ekpwele (pl. bikpele / bikpwele »).

Source: liganda.ch.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#17
THE OVERTHROW AND EXECUTION OF NGUEMA

From Wikipedia:

Macías Nguema's dictatorship forced tens of thousands of citizens to flee in fear of persecution and to protect their personal safety. Intellectuals and skilled professionals were a particular target. By the end of his rule, nearly all of the country's educated class was either executed or forced into exile—a brain drain from which the country has never recovered. Two-thirds of the legislature and 10 of his original ministers were also killed.

Some observers have posited that Macías Nguema may have been a psychopath, a disorder potentially enabled in part by reported childhood psychological trauma, and that his behaviour could have been affected by other possible mental illnesses, as well as his reported use of the psychoactive plant Iboga and large quantities of cannabis.

By 1979, Macías Nguema's government had garnered condemnations from the United Nations and European Commission. That summer, Macías Nguema organised the execution of several members of his own family, leading several members of his inner circle to fear that he was no longer acting rationally. On 3 August 1979 he was overthrown by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who was Macías Nguema's nephew (and the brother of one of the victims) and who served previously as the military governor of Bioko and Vice-Minister of the Armed Forces.

The deposed ruler and a contingent of loyal forces initially resisted the coup, but his forces eventually abandoned him, and he was captured in a forest on 18 August 1979. The Supreme Military Council subsequently convened a military tribunal on 24 September to try Macías Nguema and several members of his government. The charges for the ten defendants included genocide, mass murder, embezzlement of public funds, violations of human rights, and treason.

Macías Nguema and six of his co-defendants were sentenced to death and the confiscation of their property. Two defendants were sentenced to fourteen years in prison each, and two others to four years each. Macías Nguema and the six other defendants sentenced to death were executed by a hired Moroccan Army firing squad at Black Beach Prison at 6 pm on the same day.

During Macías Nguema's government, anywhere from 50,000 to 80,000 of the 300,000 to 400,000 people living in the country at the time were killed. He has been compared to Pol Pot because of the violent, unpredictable, and anti-intellectual nature of his government.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>



The president since August 1979, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#19


The flag of Equatorial Guinea since 1979.


The new president restored the original coat of arms and also added it to the country's original flag.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#20
NEW COIN SERIES OF 1980 AND 1981

From Wikipedia:

In 1980 and 1981, coins of 1 ekwele, 5, 25 and 50 bipkwele were issued, replacing the previous coins which were then withdrawn from circulation. The smallest denomination was again issued in aluminum-bronze while the higher denominations were in copper nickel. This time all denominations featured the second president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and had a design plan similar to the 1969 Equatorial Guinean peseta issue. This second issue was made in smaller quantities than the previous ones and these coins are considerably rare today.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#21
Equatorial Guinea 1 ekwele 1980'.jpg

Equatorial Guinea, 1 ekwele, 1980.


The 1 ekwele coin of 1980 and 1981 was made of aluminium-bronze.

It weighed 2.5 grams and had a diameter of 20 mm.


The obverse featured a portrait of the president.

The reverse showed the national emblem.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#22
Equatorial Guinea 1980-obverse.jpg

The obverse of the 5 bipkwele coin.


The 5 bipkwele coin was made of copper-nickel.

It weighed 4.8 grams and had a diameter of 20 mm.

Like all the coins, it featured the president's portrait on the obverse.


Notice the year, split across the two stars: '19' and '80'.

These coins were all produced at the Madrid Mint, Spain.

This can be seen from the Spanish 'year inside stars' practice.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#23
Equatorial Guinea 5 bipkwele 1980.jpg

The reverse of the 5 bipkwele coin.


The 5 bipkwele coin weighed 4.8 grams and had a diameter of 20 mm.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#24
EQ 1980.jpg

The 25 and 50 bipkwele coins.


There was no 10 bipkwele coin.


The 25 and 50 bipkwele coins were both made of copper-nickel.

The 25 bipkwele coin weighed 6.38 grams and had a diameter of 25 mm.

The 50 bipkwele coin weighed 10 grams and had a diameter of 29 mm.

It was the highest denomination of the series.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#25
Central African CFA franc.

In 1985 the ekwele was replaced by the Central African CFA franc at a rate of 1 Franco = 4 bipkwele.

The denomination was shown as 'francos' on Equatorial Guinean coins and banknotes.


From Wikipedia:

The Central Africa CFA franc (XAF) is known in French as the Franc CFA, where CFA stands for Coopération financière en Afrique centrale ("Financial Cooperation in Central Africa"). It is issued by the BEAC (Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale, i.e., "Bank of the Central African States"), located in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for the six countries of the CEMAC (Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale, i.e., "Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa").
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#26
Equatorial Guinea 5 francos 1985---.jpg


The lowest denomination, the 5 francos coin, was made of aluminium-bronze.

It weighed 3.1 grams and had a diameter of 20 mm.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#27


There was no 10 francos coin.

The 25 francos coin was made of aluminium-bronze.

It weighed 7.8 grams and had a diameter of 27mm.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#28


The 50 francos coin was made of nickel.

It weighed 4.7 grams and had a diameter of 21mm.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#29
Equatorial Guinea 100 francos 1985.jpg


The 100 francos coin was made of nickel.

It weighed 7.1 grams and had a diameter of 25mm.


The reverse design featured a beautiful motif around the rim and within the numerals.

See: Patterns on coins.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.