Newp: Guinea-Bissau

lordmarcovan · May 18, 2010 2:56AM

Here is a newp from Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony in West Africa.

It's KM3, with 350,000 minted. A one-year type struck only in 1933.

I haven't done much with African coins, despite having lived in East Africa as a child. I'm not collecting them or anything, but the opportunity to buy this one arose, so I did. I like the design. I'm not sure if I like the reverse toning or not. Sort of. It's not entirely my cup of tea, toning-wise, but I had the feeling that somebody else might like it very much.

SYRACUSIAN · May 18, 2010 4:11AM

Gorgeous.

I was once the lucky recipient of a spoon giveaway whose prize was a similar looking Capo Verde 10c, which I've recently repurchased in full red PCGS MS65RD.

worldcoinguy · May 18, 2010 4:30AM

Nice piece LordM. The wide rim gives it a deceptively 'thick' look.

You lived in East Africa as a kid? Wow - that is an interesting tidbit offered up at the bottom of this thread. Perhaps that was that the seed for an interest in world coins?

JCMhouston · May 18, 2010 6:39AM

Very nice, I like that portrait.

harasha · May 18, 2010 7:00AM

Definitely a special piece.

lordmarcovan · May 18, 2010 8:47AM

<< <i>You lived in East Africa as a kid? Wow - that is an interesting tidbit offered up at the bottom of this thread. Perhaps that was that the seed for an interest in world coins? >>

We lived in Tanzania, in 1972 or thereabouts. In 1974 we lived in the Bahamas, so I had the experience of getting other interestingly-shaped world coinage from the Tooth Fairy and as my allowance. Perhaps that did plant a seed. My interest in old coins came a tiny bit later, in 1976, when I found a 1936 Mercury dime in my grandmother's sideboard while setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner. I still have that coin. I count it as the one that started the whole thing.