Rhodesia and Nyasaland 1955 penny
This specimen was lot 73222 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2023), where it sold for $312. The catalog description[1] noted, "RHODESIA & NYASALAND. Penny, 1955. Llantrisant Mint. Elizabeth II. PCGS PROOF-67 Red. Blazing with mint red luster, this SUPERB GEM is quite the stunner. It is no surprise that it sits atop the PCGS Population Report." The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was a shortlived grouping of the British colonies of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (later Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (now Malawi). Formed in 1953, it was very much a shotgun marriage, the black-dominated Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland wanting to have nothing to do with white-dominated Southern Rhodesia. Zambia and Malawi left in 1964, and Rhodesia declared independence in 1965, terminating the federation. This type was struck 1955-63 and no dates are rare.
Recorded mintage: 2,040,000 plus 2,010 proofs.
Specification: 6.3 g, bronze.
Catalog reference: KM-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, February 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the David Sterling Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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