Explore

Palace doors from Nigeria

A bigger picture

During the period of colonisation, it was important for the colonisers to establish their presence and authority among their subjects. One way to reinforce this was to introduce a colonial currency. The design of banknotes and coins was a powerful way of sending out a message to a lot of people quickly. The last three are examples from transitional and post-independence periods for comparison.

British East Africa coin

British_East_Africa_coin

Front and back of a British East Africa coin dated 1898.

See more See more: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=932293&partId=1&searchText=british+east+africa+coin&page=1

Hong Kong coin

Hong_Kong_coin

Front and back of a Hong Kong coin dated 1879.

See more See more: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?assetId=680465001&objectId=932293&partId=1

British West Africa banknote

British_West_Africa_banknote

Front of a banknote from British West Africa from 1918.

See more See more: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?assetId=459595001&objectId=3110646&partId=1

India coin

India_coin

Front and back of a coin from India from 1918.

See more See more: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1654834&partId=1&searchText=king+rupee&images=true&page=1

Jamaica penny

Jamaica_penny

Front and back of a penny from Jamaica from 1871 .

See more See more: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3107568&partId=1&searchText=jamaica+coin&images=true&page=1

New Zealand banknote

New_Zealand_banknote

Front and back of a New Zealand banknote from 1929, when New Zealand had the status of dominion rather than colony.

See more See more: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?assetId=146856001&objectId=972727&partId=1

India banknote

India_banknote

Bank note from India depicting Gandhi and his salt march (1987 – 1990s).

See more See more: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=1384196&objectId=3312562&partId=1#more-views

Congo banknote

Congo_banknote

Post-independence banknote from the Congo.

See more See more: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1111860&partId=1&searchText=1984,0605.1718&page=1 http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/others/1000_franc_note-1.aspx
Next section: Teaching ideas
palace_doors_banner

Palace doors from Nigeria