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1/2 Gersh - Menelik II
| Issuer | Ethiopian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1896 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Ge'ez, Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central field displays the denomination inscription in large Ge'ez characters arranged in two lines within a beaded inner circle: the upper line reading 'ye-gersh' and the lower line 'alad' (meaning Half Gersh). The mint mark 'A' for the Monnaie de Paris appears below the beaded circle at center. Surrounding the inner circle, a continuous Ge'ez outer legend reads the royal motto 'Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah,' flanked by decorative cross and star ornaments, with the Ethiopian calendar date 1888 (equivalent to 1895/96 Gregorian) also rendered in Ge'ez numerals. The design is enclosed within a beaded border and a reeded outer rim. |
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| Additional information |
Struck in the same year as the Battle of Adwa, where Ethiopian forces under Menelik II decisively defeated the Italian army and preserved the country's independence — the only African nation to do so against a European colonial power during the Scramble for Africa. The timing was not coincidental; asserting a national coinage was part of the same project of sovereign state-building.
These copper fractions circulated alongside the silver Maria Theresa Thaler, which had dominated highland trade for over a century and stubbornly remained the preferred medium for large transactions well into the twentieth century.