British West Africa

[<k>]

British West Africa, 2 shillings, 1938.

The shilling and two shilling coins were also now issued in nickel-brass.

The shilling is not illustrated, but it carried the same reverse design as before.

[<k>]

British West Africa, 1 shilling, 1949.

The coins of 1947 were the last to bear George's title of Emperor of India.

No coins were issued in 1948, but the 1949 issues bore an amended obverse legend.

[<k>]

British West Africa, 1 penny, 1952.

1952 was the final year of the reign of George VI.

The 1/10 of a penny, halfpenny and penny were issued in bronze for the first time.

[<k>]

British West Africa, one tenth of a penny, 1954.

In 1954 the first bronze coins were issued for the reign of Elizabeth II.

No halfpenny was issued for her reign.

[<k>]

British West Africa, 3 pence, 1957.

The sixpence, shilling and two shillings were not issued for Elizabeth's reign.

The only coin to bear her portrait was the copper-nickel threepence, issued in 1957 only.

The last issue of her reign was the penny dated 1958.

[<k>]

Nigeria, half penny, 1959.




Nigeria, penny, 1959.

Nigeria issued its own national coinage in 1959.

The lowest denominations were the halfpenny and the penny.

The influence of the British West African designs is visible.




Nigeria, 3 pence, 1959.

Even the higher denominations used a hexagram as a rim ornament.

[<k>]

That concludes my survey of the coinage of British West Africa.

[<k>]

Eventually the word "Uganda" was dropped from the coins' legend - just as "Nigeria" was dropped from the legends of the coins of British West Africa.

See also:  British Empire: East Africa and Uganda Protectorates.

[Lori]

That concludes my survey of the coinage of British West Africa.

    Great work ! As always.
   A small contribution from my side :

  NIGERIA - One Shilling,1961, Copper-Nickel , 22,8 mm, edge S1(Security 1)
           
                  6 Pence, 1959, Copper-Nickel, 17,8mm, edge reeded

[<k>]

Nice to see the security edge too, Lori. One curiosity is the star of David in the design. Are there Jews in Africa? If you are as old as me, you may remember the Falasha people of Ethiopia, who were discovered to be Jews, and some of whom emigrated to Israel in the 1970s. Apparently the Igbo people of Nigeria are also Jewish, but that's all I know. We discover some most curious facts about this world of ours, and I suspect there is still much we do not know about its early history.

[Lori]

Nice to see the security edge too, Lori. One curiosity is the star of David in the design. Are there Jews in Africa? If you are as old as me, you may remember the Falasha people of Ethiopia, who were discovered to be Jews, and some of whom emigrated to Israel in the 1970s. Apparently the Igbo people of Nigeria are also Jewish, but that's all I know. We discover some most curious facts about this world of ours, and I suspect there is still much we do not know about its early history.

In the begining I tought it was something like in Morroco ( see Morroco-Jews) than, I found this :

http://www.hubert-herald.nl/Nigeria.htm

[<k>]

Thanks, Lori. I quote from the linked web page:

For the Protectorates of Southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria amalgamated into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria a badge was introduced, placed on the blue ensign. It consisted of a red disc charged with a green hexagram or Salomons' Seal, enclosing the imperial state crown with the title NIGERIA below.

An explanation of the emblem can be found in one of the 1949 editions of a magazine called Nigeria, which had an extract from a letter written in April 1940 by Lord Lugard. It reads:

"The design of the interlaced triangles is, I think, commonly called Solomon's Seal. I do not know if and when it was adopted as the seal of Islam, but it was found on the lid of a very handsome goblet or jug of brass and copper covered with designs, which was captured by the troops when the Emir of Kontagora, the principle slave-raider in Northern Nigeria, was defeated. I thought it an appropriate badge for Northern Nigeria, and as far as I can remember it was my own suggestion. On amalgamation of North and South it was adopted as the emblem of united Nigeria."

Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard († 1945), was the first Governor General of Nigeria, 1914 - 1918.

The Salomons' Seal however was already introduced in 1906 on coins for Nigeria and British West Africa and was only abandoned on Nigerian coins in 1961. Thus the contribution of Sir Lugard consisted only in the crown and the title.


Nowadays it's usually called The Seal of Solomon in English. Judaism and Moslemism are both Abrahamic religions, as is Christianity, so it's apparent that sometimes the different religions claim the same symbols.

[Siberian Man]

Thank you very much for this interesting thread. I have few coins too.

[Siberian Man]

1/10 of a penny 1932. King George V.

[Siberian Man]

George VI as the king only.
One halfpenny 1952.