Nigeria's pre-independence coinage was struck at the Royal Mint before the country left British administration in October 1960, making 1959 one of the final years this denomination was produced under colonial authority. The currency board system that issued these coins — the West African Currency Board — had served British West Africa collectively since 1912, and its dissolution was a direct consequence of Nigeria's impending sovereignty.
The WACB's shared currency arrangement meant Nigerian coins of this period circulated interchangeably with those of Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia until each territory broke away.
Nigeria's pre-independence coinage was struck at the Royal Mint before the country left British administration in October 1960, making 1959 one of the final years this denomination was produced under colonial authority. The currency board system that issued these coins — the West African Currency Board — had served British West Africa collectively since 1912, and its dissolution was a direct consequence of Nigeria's impending sovereignty.
The WACB's shared currency arrangement meant Nigerian coins of this period circulated interchangeably with those of Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia until each territory broke away.