British West Africa 1957 1/10 penny
This specimen was lot 20304 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Anaheim, CA, August 2016), where it sold for $998.75. The catalog description[1] noted, "BRITISH WEST AFRICA. 1/10 Penny, 1957. PCGS MS-65 RB Secure Holder. The finest mint state example seen at PCGS, with an additional pair at the same level graded at NGC. Never released into circulation and a modern rarity. While an example was known in the Royal Mint Museum, it wasn't until 1974 that the first example was spotted in the collector market. Mostly salmon color obverse with an attractive mixture of tone on the reverse. Well struck with underlying luster. A coin that is typically missing from even the most comprehensive collections, and sure to generate excitement." 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. Copper-nickel one-tenth pennies were issued for the region starting in 1907, but with this issue of 1952 the denomination was converted to bronze. This type was issued 1954-57. The 1957 issue was not released and is much scarcer than the mintage would indicate.
Recorded mintage: 7,200,000 plus proofs.
Specification: bronze, 20 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-32; FT-304.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, The August 2016 Anaheim ANA Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2016.
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