East Africa 1897 pice
This specimen was lot 70437 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, May 2018), where it sold for $1,320. The catalog description[1] noted, "EAST AFRICA. Pice, 1897. London Mint. NGC PROOF-63 BN. RARE proof. Low mintage first year of issue. Dark chocolate and aqua tone with subtly reflective surfaces. An identically graded example hammered for $1,500 at the September, 2017 Long Beach auction, but without the rich toning this piece exhibits." East Africa was an administrative grouping of the British colonies of Kenya, Uganda and British Somaliland. Tanganyika was added in 1919 after it was seized from the Germans. The original currency system was 100 cents = one florin (2 shillings). In 1922, this was changed to 100 cents = one shilling. In 1920 Uganda was dropped from the title on the reverse. The coinage has been obsolete since the member colonies obtained independence in the early 1960's. This type of 1897-99 was probably intended to be a division of the rupee. In India, 64 pie = one rupee.
Recorded mintage: 940,000 plus proofs.
Specification: bronze.
Catalog reference: KM-1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio and Chris Chatigny, The May 2018 Collector's Choice Sale, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.
Link to:
- East Africa 1898 pice
- Coins and currency dated 1897
- return to coins of British East Africa