East Africa 1936-H 5 cents
This specimen was lot 74453 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2022), where it sold for $100. The catalog description[1] noted, "EAST AFRICA. 5 Cents, 1936-H. Birmingham (Heaton) Mint. Edward VIII. NGC MS-66 Brown. A lovely brown 5 Cents coin with title of king Edward VIII. Significant red in the devices, and a most pleasing example of this important coin." 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. This type is known from the Heaton mint (H, shown here) and King's Norton mint (KN). This issue is popular with collectors because of its association with Edward VIII. The coinage has been obsolete since the member colonies obtained independence in the early 1960's.
Recorded mintage: 3,500,000 from Heaton plus 2,150,000 from King's Norton plus proofs.
Specification: 6.5 g, bronze, 25.3 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-23.
- 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, The November 2022 Collectors Choice Ancient & World Coins Auction, Featuring the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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