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5 'Pence' Griqua Town
| Issuer | London Missionary Society |
|---|---|
| Year | 1815-1816 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.37 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | GRIQUA IIIII TOWN |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Soho Mint, Birmingham |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The London Missionary Society had no business minting coins — and knew it. These pieces were struck in London specifically because the Cape Colony's chronic small-change shortage left the Griqua settlements at Griqua Town without any practical medium of exchange. The LMS essentially ran the town as a Christian mission colony and stepped into the monetary vacuum out of administrative necessity rather than any chartered authority.
The tin addition to the silver alloy is unusual and unexplained in the standard references — possibly a deliberate debasement to stretch limited bullion, possibly incidental to the source metal used.