The pound (symbol: £) was the currency of
the Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
between 1965 and 1971. Gambia used the
British West African pound
The pound was the currency of British West Africa, a group of British colonies, protectorates and mandate territories. It was equal to one pound sterling and was similarly subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.
History
In the 19th ...
until it issued its own currency on October 5, 1964. In 1971, the
dalasi replaced the pound at a rate of £1 = D5 (or D1 = 4
/–). 1 pound was made up of 20 shillings (symbol: "s" or "/–"), each shilling consisting of 12 pence (symbol: "d", for
denarius
The denarius (, dēnāriī ) was the standard Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the antoninianus. It continued to be minted in very ...
).
History
When the Gambia was granted internal self-government in October 1963, rather than being a constituent colony of
British West Africa
British West Africa was the collective name for British colonies in West Africa during the colonial period, either in the general geographical sense or the formal colonial administrative entity. British West Africa as a colonial entity was ori ...
the
West African Currency Board ordered that the Gambian pound should replace the British West African pound in the colony and an order for unique banknotes was lodged with British banknote printer
Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. Ltd. for 10/-, £1 and £5 notes. The new notes were issued within four days of the new currency ordinance under the oversight of The Gambia Currency Board, which came into effect on 1 October 1964.
The Gambia Currency Board issued the Gambia's first coinage, struck by the
Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins.
Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly owned by HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury and is un ...
, to replace the British West African coins, on 21 November 1966. The values remained the same although the
1⁄
10d and
1⁄
2d coins were not issued, whilst a 4/– piece went into circulation. An 8/– coin was subsequently struck in 1970.
The Central Bank of the Gambia took over assets and liabilities of the Gambia Currency Board in 1971 and a new decimal currency was introduced to replace the Gambian pound. The new currency was the
Dalasi with D1 being subdivided into 100
b. Again, the coins were minted by the Royal Mint and the notes were printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. Ltd.
[
]
Coins
Coins were introduced by The Gambia Currency Board on 18 February 1966 and these were minted by the Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins.
Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly owned by HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury and is un ...
[ in denominations of 1d, 3d and 6d, 1/–, 2/– and 4/–, with 8/– added in 1970. All coins had ]Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
's portrait on the obverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...
.
The Gambian 8/– coin of is the only coin of this denomination ever minted. With the exception of the Hippopotamus, the reverse designs of the pre-decimal coins were reused on the new dalasi coins.[
]
Banknotes
On October 5, 1964, new banknotes were introduced by the Gambia Currency Board in denominations of 10/–, £1 and £5. All notes had a sailing boat with a forest background on the obverse and were produced until 1970.
See also
* Economy of the Gambia
The economy of the Gambia is heavily reliant on agriculture. The Gambia has no significant mineral or other natural resources, and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood. S ...
References
External links
{{Pound (currency)
Currencies of Africa
Currencies of the Commonwealth of Nations
Currencies of the Gambia
Economic history of the Gambia
Modern obsolete currencies
Currencies introduced in 1964
1971 disestablishments