Biafra crown: initials

Started by <k>, January 28, 2012, 05:09:18 PM

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<k>

Biafra crown 1969.jpg


This is a "crown" dated 1969 in the name of Biafra.

I don't know its status.

Was it was issued by the Biafran rebel movement?

Or it is just a commercial coin?
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<k>

#1
Initials.JPG

Initials.


Biafra crown.JPG

Biafra crown.


Our forum member Gerhard Schön sent me an image of one of these pieces.

He wondered whether I knew who designed it, but unfortunately I don't.

He is convinced that the initials of the designer appear under the palm tree.

I have edited his image to try to show this.

Can anybody read the initials?
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

Figleaf

My notes say the piece was produced by the "Institute Numismatica Europa", an Italian enterprise. I wonder if the initials could be INE.

"Institute Numismatica Europa" seems to have had strong connections with William Bernhardt Inc. of Geneva. Bernhardt was an American publicist and the power behind the "Biafran overseas press service", also based in Geneva.

"Biafran overseas press service" was the organisation that orchestrated the propaganda campaign against Nigeria's alleged use of starvation to commit genocide.

On this subject, Wikipedia notes: A Nigerian commission, including British doctors from the Liverpool University School of Tropical Medicine, visited Biafra after the war and concluded that the evidence of deliberate starvation was overplayed, caused by confusion between the symptoms of starvation and various tropical illnesses. They did not doubt that starvation had occurred, but were unsurprisingly not clear of the extent to which it was a result of the Nigerian blockade or the restriction of food to the civilians by the Biafran government

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

Gerhard Schön

Quote from: Figleaf on January 28, 2012, 06:19:13 PMMy notes say the piece was produced by the "Institute Numismatica Europa", an Italian enterprise. I wonder if the initials could be INE. "Institute Numismatica Europa" seems to have had strong connections with William Bernhardt Inc. of Geneva. Bernhardt was an American publicist and the power behind the "Biafran overseas press service", also based in Geneva.

H. William Bernhardt and his company "Numismatic Trading Associates" (NTA) in Geneva have indeed produced the gold series, the 25 Pounds coin bearing a <NTA> hallmark. The 1 Crown piece, however, is of different (and so far unknown) origin.

translateltd

Quote from: Figleaf on January 28, 2012, 06:19:13 PM
My notes say the piece was produced by the "Institute Numismatica Europa", an Italian enterprise. I wonder if the initials could be INE.

Peter

My money would be on NIE (Numismatic Institute of Europe, maybe, as an attempt to render the Italian name into English?).  The first letter certainly looks like a script N with large serifs to bottom left and top right.


Gerhard Schön

Quote from: translateltd on January 28, 2012, 09:11:10 PMMy money would be on NIE (Numismatic Institute of Europe, maybe, as an attempt to render the Italian name into English?

There once had been a "Istituto Numismatico Europeo" but I have never heard of a "Numismatic Institute of Europe". At the first look, I thought the letters were N.U.K. but apparently there is no artist with these initials.