Pattern coinage for British West Africa in 1952 was struck experimentally as the Royal Mint explored cheaper metals for colonial issues — aluminium being the primary candidate as silver had long since been abandoned in favour of cupro-nickel for circulation strikes. The timing is pointed: the Gold Coast independence movement was already gathering momentum, and within five years the territory would become Ghana, rendering any new colonial coinage politically moot before it could be issued.
KM#Pn21 never progressed to an adopted standard, and aluminium was ultimately rejected for this denomination across British West African issues.
Pattern coinage for British West Africa in 1952 was struck experimentally as the Royal Mint explored cheaper metals for colonial issues — aluminium being the primary candidate as silver had long since been abandoned in favour of cupro-nickel for circulation strikes. The timing is pointed: the Gold Coast independence movement was already gathering momentum, and within five years the territory would become Ghana, rendering any new colonial coinage politically moot before it could be issued.
KM#Pn21 never progressed to an adopted standard, and aluminium was ultimately rejected for this denomination across British West African issues.