Catalog
25 Bututs
| Issuer | The Gambia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1971 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing draped bust of President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, depicted wearing spectacles and a traditional embroidered cap, engraved in high relief with fine portrait detail attributed to Michael Rizzello. The circumferential legend reads REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA, with the date 1971 positioned to the right of the effigy. The truncation of the bust is cleanly rendered, and the portrait fills the field with characteristic mid-20th century medallic artistry. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA - 1971 |
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| Additional information |
The Gambia gained independence from Britain in 1965 but retained the pound until 1971, when it introduced the dalasi and butut system — making this coin part of the country's first decimal coinage. The switch was administratively straightforward given the country's size, but symbolically significant as the new currency was tied to no colonial monetary framework.
The Gambia's central bank, established only in 1971, oversaw this inaugural issue.