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20 Leones Unauthorized issue
| Issuer | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|
| Year | 2003 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Leone (1964-2023) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE 20 LEONES |
| Reverse description | A large, detailed frontal portrait of a chimpanzee fills the central field, rendered in high relief with naturalistic facial features including prominent eyes, a broad nose, and visible teeth. The legend 'SIERRA LEONE' arcs along the upper periphery, while the date '2003' appears in the lower exergual area beneath the portrait. |
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| Additional information |
KM#295 occupies an awkward corner of Sierra Leonean numismatics — issued without authorization from the Bank of Sierra Leone, it falls into the category of pieces produced by private minting contractors targeting the collector market rather than circulation. Sierra Leone's name and nominal face value appear, but the coin was never legal tender in any functional sense. These pieces proliferated in the early 2000s as several African nations found their sovereignty exploited by foreign firms producing low-mintage "issues" sold through dealers and television shopping channels.