A fairly recent auction win which also happens to be a scarce date (only 36,000 minted.) I like it despite the details grade. BRITISH JAMAICA Time of Victoria, 1837-1901 CU Penny (30.1mm, 9.40g, 12h) Dated 1895. Royal mint, London, UK Obverse: Crowned bust of Queen Victoria left within beaded circle, L C WYON (engraver) below bust; VICTORIA QUEEN above, * 1895 * below Reverse: Coat of arms of Jamaica within beaded circle, JAMAICA above, * ONE PENNY * below References: Numista 14273 Mintage: 36,000 Formerly in NGC encapsulation, graded AU details. From the Globus Collection. The Caribbean island of Jamaica was one of Britain’s oldest colonial possessions. Taken from the Spanish in 1655 under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, the island, already a valuable resource for its productive sugar plantations, soon became a haven for English privateers and pirates – including the famous Henry Morgan, who made the city of Port Royal his base of operations and eventually became lieutenant-governor of the island. Over the following centuries, despite several rebellions and attempts by both the Spanish and the French to capture it, Jamaica continued to be an extremely valuable colony for Britain, exporting both sugar and later bananas. The island was granted independence in 1962, after more than three hundred years of British rule. NGC's photos: Anyone else have any Jamaican coins, British or otherwise? Let's see them!
Very good condition considering most of the older Jamaican coins I see look like they were heavily used and abused and maybe left out in the jungle for a decade or two.
Grade does look a bit mean from the photos. I vaguely recall the Globus Collection - when and by whom was it sold? I might even have a coin or two. I too love Jamaican coins, especially the pre-Independence pennies when well preserved, and I count your specimen as such. As copper-nickel most are rather silvery and poorly struck but I have seen some untampered with actually a more copper color. I have an MS65+ which is I believe also an 1895 & will see if I have pictures. If you research Jamaica on Cointalk, you will see I have posted quite a bit. Despite lower mintages, some penny dates are quite a bit harder than others to locate. I would refer you to the "Arielle" sales at Baldwin which may have been 10-15 years ago. Not a penny but a rather scarcer gold bit: A very rare 1975 matte uncirculated 10 Dollar coin post-Independence also & perhaps the only known: Ah, here is a penny of like type, a very scarce MS65 (I think) 1884:
Great coins! My coin has been "whizzed", hence the details designation. I don't know much about the Globus collection, or indeed if there is much to know about it - haven't looked into it enough yet - but there were a lot of Globus coins in a recent Heritage auction. That's where this one came from. I have a few more from that auction I haven't gotten around to posting yet.
