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2 Shillings Blank Planchet, Trial Strike
| Issuer | British West African Currency Board |
|---|---|
| Year | 1937-1938 |
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| Currency | Pound (1907-1968) |
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| Obverse description | Blank trial planchet with no design, legend, or devices struck on the obverse field. The surface exhibits a flat, unworked field of brass with characteristic flow lines and minor die contact marks consistent with a trial striking. A well-defined raised rim encircles the entire periphery, confirming the planchet was subjected to a collar during the striking process. The field shows natural toning and surface abrasions consistent with age and handling. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Blank reverse field entirely devoid of any design, inscription, or devices, presenting an unadorned brass surface typical of a trial planchet or uniface test piece. The raised rim is continuous and well-formed around the full circumference, demonstrating the use of a restraining collar during striking. Fine flow lines and scattered contact marks are visible across the field, indicative of the milling process. The surface displays a warm golden-brass tone with age-related patination. |
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| Additional information |
The British West African Currency Board operated as a currency union spanning Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia — a single monetary authority managing coinage across four separate colonial territories. The 1937–38 period coincided with a transition in composition for the florin-sized two-shilling piece, as the Board moved away from earlier cupro-nickel specifications. Blank planchets and trial strikes from this phase document the testing of brass as a replacement alloy before full production was authorized through the Royal Mint and its contracted facilities.
Pre-production trials of this kind rarely escaped the mint. That this one did is the more interesting fact.