Southern Rhodesia 1942 penny KM-8a
This specimen was lot 47642 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $168. The catalog description[1] noted, "SOUTHERN RHODESIA. Penny, 1942. George VI. PCGS MS-64 Red Brown." Rhodesia, named after diamond magnate Cecil Rhodes, was created a self-governing colony of Britain in 1923. Coinage commenced in 1932. The penny was introduced in 1934 and struck intermittently until 1954. It was converted to bronze in 1942. This type is known for 1942-47 and is common, altho this is a somewhat scarce date. The hole served two purposes: one, to prevent confusion with a higher denomination coin; two, to prevent natives from drilling their own holes when stringing them on necklaces.
Recorded mintage: 480,000 plus 960,000 of KM 8 (copper-nickel).
Specification: bronze, 27 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-8a.
- 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, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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