East Africa 1920-H 5 cents
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 (two shillings). In 1922, this was changed to 100 cents = one shilling. This type is known from the Heaton mint (H) only. The coinage has been obsolete since the member colonies obtained independence in the early 1960's. This specimen was lot 29630 in Heritage sale 3040 (Chicago, April 2015), where it sold for $1,057.50. The catalog description[1] noted, "British Colony - George V 5 Cents 1920-H MS66 NGC, Heaton mint. The single finest graded example of this coveted type, with smooth luster in the mark-free fields and a bold strike. Previous to this offering, an NGC MS61 was the finest business strike we had offered. That coin, showing numerous spots over the surfaces, sold for $793.13 in our January 2013 auction. The present piece, certainly among the finest known, should obviously attractive significantly more attention."
Recorded mintage: 550,000 plus a few proofs.
Specification: copper-nickel, plain edge.
Catalog reference: KM 13.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage Signature Auction 3040, featuring the Santa Maria, the Alan Dean and the Valley View Life Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2015.
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