Nigerian gap-fillers

Started by bart, May 03, 2008, 09:06:15 AM

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bart

Federation of Nigeria halfpenny and 2 shillings coins of 1959 in the name of Elizabeth II.

Figleaf

Nigeria was not always one of the world's most corrupt places and its population was not always known for internet scams like this one (this link is priceless, the final letter Shakespearian). Oil, poverty, greed and windfall profits did them in.The same thing is happening with the new African oil countries now. I sometimes get quite pessimistic on the human ability to learn.

Anyway, I noted from a long forgotten monograph on Nigerian money by Sven-Olof Johansson, Nigerian Primitive Currency Values the following list of what was used in money n Nigeria: bronze, copper, gold and iron manillas, and bangles, iron hoes, spears, tools, needles and bars, copper, bronze and brass rods, cloth, clothes, mats, salt, feathers, axes, cowrie shells and slaves. The good Mr. Johansson obviously forgot the coins of Morocco, as that is where the star of David mark on your coins is coming from.

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

bart

QuoteThe good Mr. Johansson obviously forgot the coins of Morocco, as that is where the star of David mark on your coins is coming from.

I already wondered. So that's why the British put the star of David (or better: the seal of Solomon) on the coins of British West Africa. They kept using the symbol on Nigeria's coins.

Bart

BC Numismatics

Bart,
  Those are very nice coins.I've never come across the Nigerian 2/- coin yet,which has 2 edge sub-types.The Nigerian coin series,like the Biafran coin series,is one that is extremely underappreciated by numismatists,except for some British Commonwealth numismatists.

Nigeria has now issued some new coins,including a bimetal pair of 1 & 2 Naira coins.

Aidan.

Afrasi

About the seal of Solomon on coins of Morocco you can read in a link at Paul's site. I have copied it here: http://islamiccoinsgroup.50g.com/assikka31/solomon.htm
Abou the same sign on Nigerian coins you can read amazingly in: "The Coinage of British West Africa and St. Helena" by David Vice, page 81.  A summary in German language follows:
Die erste Anfrage zu diesem Thema gab es schon 1937 an das Colonial Office. Sie löste zunächst eifriges Kopfkratzen und wilde Vermutungen aus, bevor man offiziell antwortete.
Das Symbol wurde 1906 in einem Gespräch zwischen den beiden Gouverneuren von Nord- und Südnigeria beschlossen. Sir Walter Egerton, der Gouverneur von Südnigerien, bevorzugte zunächst einen Flusspferdkopf als Motiv, woraufhin die Münzen wohl so ähnlich ausgesehen hätten wie das 5-Francs-Stück von 1961 von Mali. Sir Frederick Lugard, der Gouverneur Nordnigeriens, schlug hingegen dieses Motiv vor und setzte sich durch, da es der muslimischen Bevölkerung, die im Norden die Mehrheit ausmacht, weniger religiösen Anstoß bereiten würde. Im Islam ist ja die Abbildung von Gott, Menschen und Tieren verboten. Zunächst war das Motiv nur für die Münzen bestimmt. Als jedoch 1914 die beiden Provinzen vereinigt wurden, landete das Symbol auch auf dem Wappen.
Das Motiv des Siegels des Salomo befindet sich auch schon auf Stoffen im British Museum, die um 1887 gesammelt wurden, also älter als die Münzen sind. Die Stämme Nordnigerias hatten schon lange Austausch mit denen des Sudan und noch heute wird in Teilen Nigerias (Bornu) Arabisch gesprochen, weswegen auf den Münzen die Wertangabe auch auf Arabisch steht.

Afrasi



Figleaf

Hard to say, but the German piece already suggests a reason: being an abstract symbol, it was more palatable to Muslims (the farther you go to the North of Nigeria, the more muslims you will find) than a portrait of an animal or human. Apparently, the mark also occurred on things collected before 1887. I think we may presume that it had become something of a traditional "mark of quality", which would in turn have been in line with the old copper coins of Morocco, that would have been heavier than more modern coins. See also Afrasi's link, which leads to an article that speculates about the meaning of the "seal of Solomom".

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

africancoins

>>Nigeria's decimal coins are not easy to find at all.<<

I have 37 or the 39 normal Nigerian coins listed in SCWC. I miss 1 Kobo 1988 and 10 Kobo 1990. Some pieces did take longer than others to eventually find.

The 1 Kobo 1987/1988 sub-type is likely the hardest to get for those collecting one of each KM number.

The SCWC no longer lists the 2 edge vars for the 2 Shilling coin.

Thanks Mr Paul Baker

Afrasi

Hello Paul!

So you have a quite complete collection.  :D  What about 5 Kobo 1984? Do you have this year, too?

Alexander

Galapagos

Quote from: Figleaf on September 22, 2008, 11:33:55 PM
See also Afrasi's link, which leads to an article that speculates about the meaning of the "seal of Solomon".

Just did. Quite a complex history, then. Last week I was surprised to see illustrations of some recent coins bearing swastikas - from Nepal, I think. Obviously it is a harmless sun symbol or symbol of life to them, of course, but as a European it gave me a start.

Figleaf

You are thinking of Nepal, 250 rupees 2060. Better yet, the 500 rupees 2060 shows ...  :o

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

africancoins

Back to Nigeria...

>>What about 5 Kobo 1984?<<

I have never heard of that one. It is in neither SCWC nor Weltmuenzkatolog.

When checking that I noticed that Weltmuenzkatolog does not list the 10 Kobo 1990.

Thanks Mr Paul Baker

Afrasi

I closed an unknown gap in my collection: 2 Shillings 959 !!!  ;D