Gem Uncirculated 1936 King Edward VIII Coin British West Africa Penny

This near-perfect gem uncirculated coin issued by British West Africa in 1936 is one of the finest surviving examples of one of the very few coins issued under the brief reign of King Edward VIII. While these coins issued in the British African colonies in 1936 featured a centre hole and no effigy of the monarch, the coins are inscribed Edwardvs VIII, Rex et Ind Emp, which translates to "Edward VIII, King and Emperor of India." The coin is a 30.5-mm copper-nickel one-penny denomination. While this coin is not particularly rare in circulated condition, near-perfect examples like this are seldom found by collectors. British West African coinage was issued for the former British colonies of Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Gold Coast (now Ghana) from 1907 to 1957.  

When King George V died on January 20, 1936, his eldest son succeeded him as King Edward VIII. But Edward was not fond of royal duties, and had fallen in love with a twice-divorced American woman named Wallis Simpson. Edward planned to marry Wallis, but was strongly opposed by the government, as it was contrary to his position as the head of the Church of England. This became a royal crisis, until Edward abdicated on December 11, 1936 in favour of his younger brother who was crowned as King George VI.

While the United Kingdom, Canada and most other British colonies and Commonwealth countries waited until 1937 to issue new coinage under King George VI, British West African coinage stands out as one of the scarce testaments to this unusual time.  

Includes:
• Gem Uncirculated 1936 King Edward VIII Penny, BWA

Warranty Information:
This product comes with a 30-day return policy through TSC.