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June 2022 Auction 9 Jun 2022
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Zanzibar - Sultan Barghash Ibn Sa'Id (1870-1888), Pair of Tin Uniface Trials Riyal AH 1299 (1881/1882) (Brussels mint) (Tin, 17.28 and 17.27 gr, 44 and 43 mm) cfr. KM 4. PCGS SP64-SP65
In 1860 the island of Zanzibar became an independent sultanate. In order to emphasize this autonomy and not to remain dependent on the supply of foreign coins, Sultan Barghash bin Sa'id decided in 1883 to create his own coinage system.
This system included a gold 5 ryal piece of the same mass and grade as the US 5 dollar piece, the gold piece of 2 1/2 ryal, and the silver piece of 1 ryal, being the hallmarks of the US trade dollar. The copper pysa had the same mass as the 1/4 anna of British India.
A ryal, or Saidian dollar, was quoted at about 5.44 Belgian francs, while a pysa (1/136 of a ryal) was worth 4 centimes. In order to implement this coinage system, the sultan gave the Frenchman Henri Greffulhe, representative of the Association Internationale Africaine in Zanzibar, the right to import for 20 years as many gold, silver and copper coins as he deemed necessary for his purposes. On October 10, 1883, Mr. Baragnon, manager of Henri Greffulhe, asked the mint director, Josse Allard, to produce coins worth 1.2 million Saidian dollars. This amount was divided into $400,000 gold and silver pieces, and $800,000 copper pieces.
In a letter dated August 18, 1883 addressed to King of Belgium Leopold II, the sultan had set out the terms of the monetary agreement and of the order, so that it can be assumed that an intervention of our monarch with the Minister of Finance outweighed any administrative remarks by a civil servant! The conditional approval of this coinage for the sultanate was therefore given by the Belgian Minister of Finance on October 23, 1883.
The mint stamps were made by Léopold Wiener. An initial delivery for 25,000 ryal was shipped on September 13, 1883. It involved 2,000 gold pieces for 5 ryal, 10,000 silver pieces for 1 ryal and 680,000 copper pieces for 1 pysa. The remaining 1 ryal silver pieces were delivered in 1885, while 3,960,000 1 pysa copper pieces were struck and delivered during the year 1886.
An exceptional rarity in pristine condition, possibly unique.
Acquired from the Royal Mint of Belgium.
These pieces were meant to be transferred to the Royal Mint Museum, or the Royal Archives, when the Brussels Mint closed in 2018. They were found appart recently, and sold by the Federal Public Service Finance, on behalf of the Royal Mint of Belgium. Brussels Mint pedigree stated on label by PCGS.
The Royal Mint of Belgium, Federal Public Service Finance, Fin Shop Sale (01.10.2021) Tinnen naslagen / Frappes en étain, Lot 255 and 256
In 1860 the island of Zanzibar became an independent sultanate. In order to emphasize this autonomy and not to remain dependent on the supply of foreign coins, Sultan Barghash bin Sa'id decided in 1883 to create his own coinage system.
This system included a gold 5 ryal piece of the same mass and grade as the US 5 dollar piece, the gold piece of 2 1/2 ryal, and the silver piece of 1 ryal, being the hallmarks of the US trade dollar. The copper pysa had the same mass as the 1/4 anna of British India.
A ryal, or Saidian dollar, was quoted at about 5.44 Belgian francs, while a pysa (1/136 of a ryal) was worth 4 centimes. In order to implement this coinage system, the sultan gave the Frenchman Henri Greffulhe, representative of the Association Internationale Africaine in Zanzibar, the right to import for 20 years as many gold, silver and copper coins as he deemed necessary for his purposes. On October 10, 1883, Mr. Baragnon, manager of Henri Greffulhe, asked the mint director, Josse Allard, to produce coins worth 1.2 million Saidian dollars. This amount was divided into $400,000 gold and silver pieces, and $800,000 copper pieces.
In a letter dated August 18, 1883 addressed to King of Belgium Leopold II, the sultan had set out the terms of the monetary agreement and of the order, so that it can be assumed that an intervention of our monarch with the Minister of Finance outweighed any administrative remarks by a civil servant! The conditional approval of this coinage for the sultanate was therefore given by the Belgian Minister of Finance on October 23, 1883.
The mint stamps were made by Léopold Wiener. An initial delivery for 25,000 ryal was shipped on September 13, 1883. It involved 2,000 gold pieces for 5 ryal, 10,000 silver pieces for 1 ryal and 680,000 copper pieces for 1 pysa. The remaining 1 ryal silver pieces were delivered in 1885, while 3,960,000 1 pysa copper pieces were struck and delivered during the year 1886.
An exceptional rarity in pristine condition, possibly unique.
Acquired from the Royal Mint of Belgium.
These pieces were meant to be transferred to the Royal Mint Museum, or the Royal Archives, when the Brussels Mint closed in 2018. They were found appart recently, and sold by the Federal Public Service Finance, on behalf of the Royal Mint of Belgium. Brussels Mint pedigree stated on label by PCGS.
The Royal Mint of Belgium, Federal Public Service Finance, Fin Shop Sale (01.10.2021) Tinnen naslagen / Frappes en étain, Lot 255 and 256