Ancient and World Coins, Numismatic Books

British West Africa, George V, Halfpenny, 1922kn (Vice 224; KM. 8). Extremely fine and extremely rare; very few specimens known
£250-300

Slabbed in NGC holder, graded AU 55.

Between December 1919 and November 1920 the West African Currency Board placed a succession of large orders for cupro-nickel coinage with The Mint Birmingham Ltd and King’s Norton Mint (Vice, pp.174-5). The Board over-estimated local demand for cupro-nickel and, as a consequence, the last orders were cancelled and King’s Norton melted down large quantities of pennies and halfpence in 1923 and 1925; some were restruck as tenth-pennies and others sold as scrap metal