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50 Cents Sierra Leone Company
| Issuer | Sierra Leone Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1791 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | A finely detailed lion in a crouching or prowling posture occupies the central field, rendered with considerable artistic naturalism, its maned head turned to face the viewer and its arched tail curving upward behind its haunches. The animal rests upon rocky ground, conveying both strength and submission. The circular legend SIERRA LEONE COMPANY arcs across the upper field, while the word AFRICA appears prominently in the lower exergue, separated from the central device by a horizontal line. The overall composition reflects late eighteenth-century British engraving conventions adapted for a colonial trading company issue. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Sierra Leone Company was a British abolitionist venture chartered in 1792 to establish a free settlement for liberated slaves on the West African coast — making this issue one of the very few colonial coinages deliberately minted for a population of formerly enslaved people rather than for colonial administrators or trading companies. The company struck coins in denominations suited to local commerce, with production contracted to Matthew Boulton's Soho Mint in Birmingham, which had recently pioneered steam-powered coinage technology.
The 1791 date predates the company's formal royal charter by a year, reflecting the transition from its predecessor, the St. George's Bay Company.