Watch List notes:

British West Africa - 10 Shillings, 20 Shillings and 100 Shillings (3) 1954-1958 British Administration. Set of notes issued by the West African Currency Board. Consisting of a 10 shillings 1958, a 20 shillings 1957 and a 100 shillings 1954. River scene with palm trees at left. Back: men harvesting crops. Elephant watermark.P. 9a; P. 10a; P. 11b. The West African currency board was established in 1912 to issue and manage the circulation of a new colonial paper currency, the West African Pounds and shillings. The most prominent symbol that could be found on West-African notes was the palm tree which was not only a common geographical feature, but also a significant source of income and trade for the colonial government. West African palms were utilized for the production of soaps and, most significantly, palm oil which served as a lubricant for machinery in British factories and ships. From meeting minutes of the West African currency board we can also distil that, the 'artistic tastes' of the African population played a part in opting for a vignette of a palm tree, as presumably, 'the natives respect arabesques drawings of plants, and does not respect drawings of animals'.

Despite taking into account artistic 'predilections' of the African population, gold coasters generally shunned the use of banknotes, often preferring to barter agricultural commodities instead. Fearing for the obstacles that would arise in trade from a lack of a homogenous paper currency, the colonial authorities attempted to 'facilitate' the exchange of paper money by including the imagery of indigenous Africans on their banknotes. The end result of these efforts can be seen on the backs of the bills that are on offer at Schulman today where we we can see that native Africans were mainly represented as happily harvesting colonial cash crops such as cacoa, groundnuts, peanuts and, of course, palm nuts, introducing the viewer to the 'civilizing' mission that the British colonial government had in mind. The iconography of West-African currency thus subtly attempts to incorporate what was perceived by the authorities as 'local artistic tastes', while also strengthening the notion of British supremacy over the native population and the landscape they inhabit. Pristine examples of a well-preserved and extremely rare set. These notes are seldom offered at auction without major folding and creasing. Absolutely exquisite pieces with intricate details and vivid ink pop which make the sunset design truly stand out. Ornate borders embellish both the front and the back of the notes. Both the 10 shillings 1958 and 100 shillings 1954 are graded PCGS GEM UNC 65 OPQ. The 20 Shillings 1957 is graded PCGS GEM UNC 66 OPQ, thus being the highest graded example in the PCGS population. Altogether, this is an offering that represents an important bidding opportunity for collectors of West African Currency who may be hard-pressed to find other comparable pieces