Catalog
6 Pence - Elizabeth II 1st portrait, Silver Proof
| Issuer | Rhodesia and Nyasaland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1955 |
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| Composition | Silver (.500) |
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| Reverse description | A leopard in full profile facing left, standing alert upon a rocky outcrop rendered in fine relief, serving as the heraldic emblem of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The legend 'RHODESIA AND NYASALAND' arcs above in the upper field, while the date and denomination 'SIX PENCE' appear below the exergual line, flanking the designer's initials 'P.V.' The composition is enclosed within a beaded border. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Rhodesia and Nyasaland existed as a federation for only ten years, 1953 to 1963, before nationalist pressure and the diverging political ambitions of its three constituent territories — Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland — pulled it apart. The proof coinage issued in the federation's early years was struck at the Royal Mint in London, and the 1955 series represents one of the first opportunities collectors had to acquire proof specimens from this short-lived political experiment. Nyasaland's eventual path to independence as Malawi in 1964 rendered the entire federation coinage obsolete within a decade of striking.