British West Africa 1915-H shilling
This specimen was lot 52054 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Pittsburgh, PA, August 2023), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted, "BRITISH WEST AFRICA. Shilling, 1915-H. Birmingham (Heaton) Mint. George V. NGC SPECIMEN-66+. The 1915-H as a business strike is one of the KEY DATES in the British West African series, with this piece presented as a Specimen strike being elevated to an exceptional status. Beautifully struck and wholesome, this example delivers a crisp strike and strong details, with limited signs of actual marking or fault." British West Africa comprised Gambia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast (now Ghana) and Nigeria. The union broke up in the late fifties as the parts were granted independence. This type was struck at the Royal Mint (shown here) and the Heaton mint 1913-20. The alloy was changed to tin-brass in 1920. The last shilling is dated 1952.
Recorded mintage: 254,000.
Specification: 5.65 g, 0.935 fine silver, 23.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-12 (unlisted as a specimen).
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2023 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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