British West Africa 1952-H shilling
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. One shilling pieces were issued for the region starting in 1913. This specimen was lot 45805 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2026), where it sold for $192. The catalog description[1] noted, "BRITISH WEST AFRICA. Shilling, 1952-H. Birmingham (Heaton) Mint. George VI. PCGS MS-66." This type was struck in large quantities 1949-52 at London, Heaton and King's Norton and only the proofs are rare. This example realized fifteen times the catalog value. Patterns exist of this date in chrome-plated steel, stainless steel, aluminum and nickel.
Recorded mintage: 44,096,000.
Specification: 5.66 g, tin brass, 23.5 mm diameter, reeded with security edge.
Catalog reference: KM-28.
- 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, January 2026 NYINC Showcase Auction, Ancient and World Coins, featuring the Kazmier Wysocki Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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