Sierra Leone 1805 10 cents
This specimen was lot 23517 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $504. The catalog description[1] noted, "SIERRA LEONE. 10 Cents, 1805. Birmingham (Soho) Mint. NGC Unc Details--Cleaned. A fairly RARE type without many survivors, this essentially unhandled minor displays no wear across the high points, with some minor cleaning accounting for the details designation. Nevertheless, quite charming and pleasing." A series of silver and bronze coins were issued for the projected colony of Sierra Leone in Africa whose capital, Freetown, was to house freed slaves and discharged black soldiers and sailors. The colony failed for the usual reasons and it seems unlikely that the coins issued ever circulated there as most of the survivors are in good condition. Proofs and off-metal strikes are known.
Recorded mintage: 6,100.
Specification: 0.902 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-3.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
Link to:
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