Southern Rhodesia 1949 penny
This specimen was lot 36552 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2022), where it sold for $60. The catalog description[1] noted, "SOUTHERN RHODESIA. Penny, 1949. George VI. NGC MS-65 Red Brown. The finest known example of the type certified by NGC." 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. This type is known for 1949-52 and is common. 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: 1,440,000 plus proofs.
Specification: bronze, 27 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-25.
- 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, The 2022 ANA Auction - Ancients & World Coins - Featuring The Salton Collection Part III and the Robert C. Knepper Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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