The British West Africa Currency Board was established in 1912 specifically to provide a unified coinage across Nigeria, the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia — replacing a chaotic mix of local trade currencies and imported coins. The small silver threepence was the lowest denomination struck in silver for the region, and getting the weight right was a deliberate policy decision: the Board calibrated values against both sterling and the Maria Theresa thaler, which remained the dominant trade coin across large parts of West Africa well into the twentieth century.
Silver was abandoned for this denomination after 1919, replaced by cupro-nickel. Circulated survivors from the 1913–1919 window show heavy wear consistent with active use in market trade.
The British West Africa Currency Board was established in 1912 specifically to provide a unified coinage across Nigeria, the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia — replacing a chaotic mix of local trade currencies and imported coins. The small silver threepence was the lowest denomination struck in silver for the region, and getting the weight right was a deliberate policy decision: the Board calibrated values against both sterling and the Maria Theresa thaler, which remained the dominant trade coin across large parts of West Africa well into the twentieth century.
Silver was abandoned for this denomination after 1919, replaced by cupro-nickel. Circulated survivors from the 1913–1919 window show heavy wear consistent with active use in market trade.