News:

Sign up for the monthly zoom events by sending a PM with your email address to Hitesh

Main Menu

Republic of Liberia

Started by ghipszky, June 08, 2011, 04:22:37 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

ghipszky

This coin is 38mm and in perfect condition.
Ginger

Figleaf

The history of Liberia is long and unhappy. Among its earliest (13th century) inhabitants were the Kissi. They used money shaped like a long string with two flat ends (see picture). They believed that on breaking, the soul in the money would escape. It would take a local medicine man to put it back in ... for a fee of course. ;)

European trading contacts centered around pepper first, but soon turned into slave trading, facilitated because the tribes living in the area were fighting each other and selling their prisoners.

From 1821, the "Society for the Colonization of Free People of Colour of America" operated a settlement a largely freed American slaves in Liberia, on the presumption that blacks would be happier in Africa, but with the afterthought that blacks could become an internal danger to the US. The settlement quickly came in political control in the area. In spite of the name Liberia, they oppressed the tribes who had lived there. Liberia became independent in 1847 and a one-party state in 1877.

The second world war brought some economic development, empowering the descendants of the old tribes to resist the minority government of the settlers. This led to a number of revolts, mass killings, military governments and civil wars that effectively destroyed the country's infrastructure, economy and intelligentsia to the point where Liberia is now one of the poorest countries on earth. From 2003, peace returned. The current president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is making a heroic attempt to get the country working again and she has surprising and heartening success. She is the only female president in Africa.

The first Liberian coins looked like US coins in size and material. Your piece dates from the period of troubles. There is little doubt in my mind that it never reached Liberia and you couldn't pay with it in the country. It was issued under the dictatorship of democratically elected Charles Taylor, a vicious, sadistic kleptocrat. The function of your coin is to raise money from the American public for his reign. Hence the design, which appeals to US tastes, not anything Liberian. As such, it is a fitting reminder of horrible times.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

ghipszky

Hi Peter,
Thank you for the explanation of the coins history and the history of the Liberian's. I had no idea this coin held so much information. Skee is a big fan of Star Trek and this coin was a gift from his oldest son. I will show him this message. A shame to use a coin for ill gain. Especially for such a not nice guy.
I will post another coin soon.
Interesting money they had in the beginning. Looks like barbed-wire
Ginger
Nice having a friend with so much knowledge, I have learned alot from you over the years.