Italian Somaliland 1909-R besa
This specimen was lot 1462 in Stephen Album sale 47 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2023), where it sold for $204. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALIAN SOMALILAND: Vittorio Emanuele III, 1900-1941, AE besa, 1909, an attractive mint state example, PCGS graded MS62 BN." The region of Somalia became of strategic importance for the European powers after the construction of the Suez Canal in 1869. The British were the first to occupy the region in force, followed by the Italians in 1895 who purchased the coastline south of British Somaliland from the sultan of Zanzibar. This type was struck 1909-10, 1913 and 1921. One hundred bese (paisa) made a rupia (rupee). Italian Somaliland was used by Mussolini to launch his conquest of Ethiopia in 1936. In turn, the British ousted the Italians in 1941 and occupied Italian Somaliland. It was joined with British Somaliland to form Somalia in 1950. Somalia has proved to be virtually ungovernable as a nation, with the former British Somaliland breaking away again in 1991 and incessant civil conflict engulfing the remainder.
Recorded mintage: 2,000,000.
Specification: bronze.
Catalog reference: KM-1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Gigante, Fabio, Gigante 2016: Catalogo Nazionale delle Monete Italiano Dal '700 All'Euro, 24a ed. Varese, Italy, 2015.
- Montenegro, Eupremio, Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed., Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 2014.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 47, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2023.
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