African Coins

African coins trace the arc of colonization and independence more visibly than any other continent's coinage. The earliest pieces in most collections carry the portraits of European monarchs and the names of territories drawn on maps in Berlin, London, and Paris. The coins that followed carry the names those territories chose for themselves — and the emblems, animals, and leaders that replaced the colonial imagery overnight.
 
The coins in this collection come from nations whose modern minting histories often begin at a precise date: the year of independence, the year the flag changed, the year the old currency was abolished and a new one took its place. Some were struck at European mints for decades after independence. Others were produced at newly built national facilities as acts of sovereignty in themselves.
 
Africa's coinage also carries its wildlife, its geography, and its resources on its face — elephants, baobabs, diamonds, and oil derricks alongside the portraits of founding presidents and independence leaders.