British West Africa 1920-G shilling

Stack's Bowers 2023 ANA sale, lot 52055

This specimen was lot 52055 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Pittsburgh, PA, August 2023), where it sold for $960. The catalog description^[1] noted, "BRITISH WEST AFRICA. Shilling, 1920-G. Birmingham (Gaunt & Sons) Mint. George V. NGC AU Details--Cleaned. A VERY RARE specimen emanating from the limited output of Gaunt & Sons, this example does exhibit some minor cleaning, but nevertheless retains excellent overall detail." British West Africa comprised Gambia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast (now Ghana) and Nigeria. The union broke up in the late fifties as the parts were granted independence. This type was struck at London, Heaton and King's Norton mints 1920-28 and 1936. Gaunt & Sons participated only with a small issue in 1920; it is rare. The alloy was changed to tin-brass in 1920. The last shilling is dated 1952.

Recorded mintage: 16,000.

Specification: 5.65 g, tin-brass, 23.5 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: KM-12a.

Source:

• 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 2023 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.

Link to:

• 1917-H shilling
• 1920-H ½ penny
• 1920-H threepence
• 1920-H sixpence
• 1920-KN sixpence
• 1920 shilling
• 1923-H shilling
• Coins and currency dated 1920