British colonial coins with non-lsd denominations

[Mr T]

Cyrpus had coins with roughly the same sizes as British silver coins (9 piastres was one shilling) and I read recently that Essequibo and Demerara were the same (one guilder was one shilling).

Does anyone know of any other examples like this? I think most of the rest of commonwealth used the pound or some sort of dollar (where the half dollar usually seemed to be equivalent to a florin).

[alfnail]

Several 'colonial' countries used 'cents', with roughly same size as some lsd coins. e.g. British Honduras and Canada (also dollar).

Mauritius and Seychelles had rather attractive 1 rupee and half rupee, same as India.

One of the more interesting pieces is the half shilling / 50 cents from East Africa which shows both denominations in the legend, and has an attractive image of a lion at the foot of Kilimanjaro. 

I have a collection of last ever minted George VI pieces from around the world; I have every denomination apart from the 1941 Hong Kong 1 cent. Happy to share that information if helps.

[VickySilver]

Let's not go there with the Indian system of Annas, etc. in addition to the aforementioned rupees....

[alfnail]

Ha, yes Indian coins were something else.

The following list if coins were still all being produced in the time of George VI.

Amazing to think that twelfth Annas were being minted, and there are 16 Annas to a Rupee.........the Rupee itself now worth slightly less than the UK new penny. 

1/12 Anna

1/2 Pice = 1/8 Anna

1 Pice = 1/4 Anna

1/4 Anna

1/2 Anna

1 Anna

2 Annas = 1/8 Rupee

1/4 Rupee

1/2 Rupee

1 Rupee

 

[Mr T]

Yeah there were certainly a few different systems in place.

Looks like Canada and Honduras had 50c = one florin and Hong Kong had 50c = a half crown

India, Mauritius and East Africa all had a rupee half way between the florin and half crown so they didn't quite match any denomination.

All the lsd colonies had coins that were almost the same/the same (though Jamaica and Nigeria had some coins were a couple of mm off).

I think Cyprus and Demerara and Essequibo were the only two that weren't lsd that had most coins match British coin sizes more or less.

 

And India probably needed to decimalise more than any country with a system like that.

[Paddy]

Well I have just acquired this, which fits the criteria nicely. 1928 Cyprus 45 Piastre - same size as the British Crown:

 

[Sleepy]

I have taken a slight interest in Cypriot coins, I was born their.

Be careful there are forgeries of these Crowns going around, yours looks ok Paddy see below an example the tell tale appears to be the "ding" on Georges temple.

[Mr T]

16 hours ago, Paddy said:

Well I have just acquired this, which fits the criteria nicely. 1928 Cyprus 45 Piastre - same size as the British Crown:

Very nice.

14 hours ago, Sleepy said:

I have taken a slight interest in Cypriot coins, I was born their.

Be careful there are forgeries of these Crowns going around, yours looks ok Paddy see below an example the tell tale appears to be the "ding" on Georges temple.

Is that example yours? I know it's a low mintage coin but surely it's not rare enough to warrant faking - there's hardly a shortage.

[Sleepy]

Yes the forgery is mine, I have 2 of them with exactly the same mark on Georges temple, which is what first aroused my suspicions , so someone must think they are worth the effort.

[VickySilver]

Ah, not to divert but I was in Nicosia in 67-68 Sleepy and went to the Nicosia Middle School near Makarios' palace. That is why I keep a sometime interest in Cypriot coins prior to 1963 - can't afford many but do have a very choice 1907 9P. The bronze is just too crazy....

[AardHawk]

A Sarawak 1 Cent 1941. 

I sold this together with another at a Baldwin's auction in Hong Kong a few years ago. 

Edited October 22, 2021 by AardHawk

[Peckris 2]

3 hours ago, AardHawk said:

A Sarawak 1 Cent 1941. 

 

I sold this together with another at a Baldwin's auction in Hong Kong a few years ago. 

 

Sarawak, Sarawak, karakakola ka karakak (karakak karakak)

Sarawak, shy shy Sarawak...

 

(Some of you will now be scratching your heads and saying "Wha--?")

[Bardolph]

Don 't forget the British coins issued in Palestine under the British Mandate from 1923 to 1948. Coins of 1 Mil,  2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 mils from 1927 to 1947, or if you are looking for real rareties, howabout the Ionian Islands in the Eastern Mediterranean, anothe British protectorate from 1809 to 163, when the wereceded to Greece: 1 lepton, quarter obol, and 30 leptas -among other oddities!

[Mr T]

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about those.

Generally I stick to coins that have the King or Queen on them though. Not sure how they decided on whether to have that or not way back when.