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1/2 Ackey - George III
| Issuer | Company of Merchants Trading to Africa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1796 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 1796 GR (Translation: George King) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The Company of Merchants Trading to Africa issued these pieces specifically for use along the Gold Coast, where British trade currency had to compete with and conform to local weight standards accepted by Fante and Asante traders. The "ackey" unit derived from the indigenous gold-weight system, giving this coinage an unusual dual legitimacy — acceptable to both the Company's factors and the African merchants they dealt with.
The Company was not a Crown institution but a regulated association of British traders, chartered in 1750 to replace the defunct Royal African Company. Its right to issue coinage was correspondingly irregular, making these pieces trade tokens in the strictest legal sense.