| Coin Type | Twenty Five Pounds |
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Apart from regular circulating coins, in 1969 a pair of commemorative silver coins were also issued: a crown (equal to five shillings) and a pound.
A gold set of five coins was issued too, with the one pound design repeated in gold.
Composition: 0.917 gold (2.3551 oz. AGW). |
| Obverse | |
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Above an open wreath tied with ribbon, the Coat of Arms of Biafra: eagle perched on a cow horn above a shield; the top half of the shield has the rising sun in it, with eleven rays of the sun - one for each province; the lower half has three interlaced circles; the shield is supported by two leopards. In a ribbon under the shield, the national motto PEACE · UNITY · FREEDOM.
Around above, REPUBLIC OF BIAFRA. Below the Coat of Arms, the date 1969.
Around below the inscription SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE. |
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| Obverse Inscription |
REPUBLIC OF BIAFRA 1969 SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE |
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| Reverse | |
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Eagle with spread wings perched on an open scroll; in a ribbon around above: SPES THE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL. Around below, the denomination TWENTY FIVE 25 POUNDS.
Unlike the rest of the coins of the series, the 25 pounds coins were individually numbered. In a small rectangle after the word POUNDS, each coin has a number between 0001 and 3000. |
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| Reverse Inscription |
TWENTY FIVE 25 POUNDS |
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| Edge | Plain | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | According to Gerhard Schön, the "Second Anniversary" commemorative sets (with a mintage of 3,000 pieces) were produced by the UGDO (Usine Genevoise de Dégrossissage d'Or) in Geneva and were made for H. William Bernhardt and his Markpress PR agency which worked for the Biafran government then. Remick (1971) says that Markpress (listed there as "the official distributor") was selling the sets for $464.
References to additional information:
[Book] Remick, Jerome. 1971. The Guide Book and Catalogue of British Commonwealth Coins, pp 65-66. |
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