Recent score: 1916 T German East Africa 15 Rupien & a short history of the coin.

[jvic]

About a month ago I was looking through a coin shop's scrap gold bin when I found a beautiful 1916 T German East Africa 15 Rupien just sitting there. I bought the coin for 650 CAD (370 GBP) and I subbed the coin to PCGS and they just returned the coin to me as Genuine UNC details bent. While the details grade is kinda a heartbreak, for the price I paid I still scored a very rare and highly coveted gold coin with a rich history.

 

In 1916 during the height of the Great War, in order to pay for the local Askaris troops under the legendary general Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck (seriously read his story, it is amazing), it was decided to mint a gold coin. This was made possible by the establishment of a temporary mint in a train carriage in Tabora, Tanzania and the gold was sourced from a local gold mine still in operation. The coin was minted under siege conditions as the British was attacking Tabora at the time, and after the capitulation of Tabora the coins quickly disappeared as they were soon perceived as valuable. 

These coins, also known as Tabora Pound, has a elephant in the reverse and the date 1916. The T mint mark is for Tabora and the obverse shows a crudely made German Empire Eagle with the legends Deutsche Ostafrika (German East Africa) and the denomination (15 Rupien).

 

Edited September 12, 2021 by jvic

[Aran]

What an amazing find! That’s what makes coin collecting interesting, not just buying whatever you want wherever you want at a price! Yes the history of the coin and the ‘General’ is most interesting. Over a decade ago, I visited a well known German coin dealer who had just purchased 21 of these coins together that day from someone who popped into his office. He offered me the pick of the crop (ss €1700, vs €1900, stg €2100, that’s the rough equivalent of vf, xf, ms). It was incredible to see so many of these loose coins together in one place. It’s a beautiful coin, with the elephant set again Mount Kilimanjaro, and your example has fantastic luster! Well done.

[jvic]

Just now, Aran said:

What an amazing find! That’s what makes coin collecting interesting, not just buying whatever you want wherever you want at a price! Yes the history of the coin and the ‘General’ is most interesting. Over a decade ago, I visited a well known German coin dealer who had just purchased 21 of these coins together that day from someone who popped into his office. He offered me the pick of the crop (ss €1700, vs €1900, stg €2100, that’s the rough equivalent of vf, xf, ms). It was incredible to see so many of these loose coins together in one place. It’s a beautiful coin, with the elephant set again Mount Kilimanjaro, and your example has fantastic luster! Well done.

Yeah it is definitely one of the most beautiful coins I have ever seen. I have been on the hunt for one for ages and I was prepared to pay heavily for an example which is why I was glad to find one that cheap.

[dikefalos]

That's an amazing find. No way, this beauty could end up in a scrap box in germany.  Congrats for this gem.

[KevinFlynn]

See what I have sitting on my desk 😉

I congratulate you 😙 These coins can easily go into the 1000s.

Could you possibly post a 'deep shadow' picture of the reverse to see if you have a type A or type B?

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by KevinFlynn

[dicker]

Brilliant addition to your collection!

[dicker]

Many many years ago I stayed a night in Tabora while on a trip to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro - I can fully appreciate how difficult obtaining the gold and minting the coins must have been.  I suspect they would have had problems refining if this was all done locally so would be very interesting to see an XRF of the coin's composition.

Best

Dicker

 

[KevinFlynn]

Accodrding to the book they couldn't refine the gold, and the purity is only so so. I can post details tonight.

[jvic]

5 hours ago, dicker said:

Many many years ago I stayed a night in Tabora while on a trip to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro - I can fully appreciate how difficult obtaining the gold and minting the coins must have been.  I suspect they would have had problems refining if this was all done locally so would be very interesting to see an XRF of the coin's composition.

Best

Dicker

 

Luckily enough, I did get it tested through an XRF machine before I sent it in for grading and I remember the composition.

Au: 75%

Ag: 15%

Cu: 10%

[dicker]

Wow - thats impressive.

Photos are hard to judge, but does it have a reddish tinge (given its composition)?

Best

Dicker

[KevinFlynn]

2 hours ago, jvic said:

Au: 75%

Ag: 15%

Cu: 10%

Right what it says - it states the coin is of equivalent size to the 20 Mark (coined as 15 Rupien as a Rupie is 1 1/3 Marks). Nonetheless the gold content is 25% less than a 20 Mark coin...

It is a Type B coin, as the right arabesque ends under the T of Ostafrika (Type A would end under the A). If you care to count the pearls on the obverse one day it'll be 134 (Type A has 136).

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by KevinFlynn

[jvic]

1 hour ago, dicker said:

Wow - thats impressive.

Photos are hard to judge, but does it have a reddish tinge (given its composition)?

Best

Dicker

I would say it is more yellowish composition with a tint of red I think.

[dicker]

Thanks @jvic one for my (long) wish list.  

There really is something about your coin that makes it attractive.  I find the same with early US Couns / Territorial Californian coins.  The colour, composition and design are phenomenal.  Not intricate but extremely attractive.  
 

Best

Dicker
 

 

[jvic]

1 hour ago, KevinFlynn said:

Right what it says - it states the coin is of equivalent size to the 20 Mark (coined as 15 Rupien as a Rupie is 1 1/3 Marks). Nonetheless the gold content is 25% less than a 20 Mark coin...

It is a Type B coin, as the right arabesque ends under the T of Ostafrika (Type A would end under the A). If you care to count the pearls on the obverse one day it'll be 134 (Type A has 136).

 

Yeah I think it is a type b coin due to the KM number being 16.1. I will try to take better pics later.

[jvic]

Well PCGS finally finished processing the image, here is my coin in its full glory.

Edited September 16, 2021 by jvic

[Leonmarsh]

On 16/09/2021 at 18:52, jvic said:

Well PCGS finally finished processing the image, here is my coin in its full glory.

Beauty 

[KevinFlynn]

@jvic

Would you change your coin into 15 of these?

[jvic]

5 hours ago, KevinFlynn said:

@jvic

Would you change your coin into 15 of these?

Sir this is a Wendy's.