5 Licente - Moshoeshoe II Independence Attained

Lesotho became independent on October 4, 1966, having spent nearly a century as Basutoland under British protection — a status the kingdom's rulers had actually sought in 1868 as a buffer against Boer and Cape Colony encroachment. Moshoeshoe II, the issuing authority here, was a constitutional monarch from independence and would spend much of his reign in political conflict with Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan, who suspended the constitution entirely in 1970 after losing an election.

This piece is part of the first coinage ever struck for an independent Lesotho state. The .900 silver composition was abandoned quickly in subsequent series.