East Africa 1944-H shilling
This specimen was lot 74555 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice Online Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2025), where it sold for $240. The catalog description[1] noted, "EAST AFRICA. Shilling, 1944-H. Birmingham (Heaton) Mint. George VI. PCGS SPECIMEN-63." 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 = 1 shilling. This was the last silver shilling, becoming copper-nickel thereafter. It was struck at Heaton and Bombay in 1937, 1941-42 and 1944. The coinage has been obsolete since the member colonies obtained independence in the early 1960's.
Recorded mintage: 10,000,000. Specimens are not listed in the SCWC.
Specification: 7.77 g, 0.250 fine silver, 27.8 mm diameter, reeded edge, engraved by Percy Metcalfe.
Catalog reference: KM-28.2.
- 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, May 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction: Ancient & World Coins, featuring selections from the Sydney F. Martin Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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