NEW BOOK: THE COINAGE OF COLONIAL AFRICA

Frederik Tielens brings together the history of European colonial expansion and the coins that circulated across the African continent.

The Coinage of Colonial Africa: An Historical Overview is a new English-language reference work by Belgian author Frederik Tielens. Moving beyond the format of a conventional coin catalogue, the book places official colonial coinage within the political, commercial and monetary history of Africa.

Its geographical and chronological scope is unusually broad. Beginning with Portuguese expansion in the fifteenth century and extending through the era of decolonization, the volume explores the monetary legacies of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Scandinavian, French, British, Belgian, German and Italian involvement in Africa.

Alongside major colonial issues, Tielens examines less familiar monetary histories, including the rupee of German East Africa, the coins of the Congo Free State and Belgian Congo, and the distinctive coinages of Italian territories.

The book also discusses African states that remained independent, the widespread circulation of the Maria Theresa thaler, and earlier forms of exchange such as cowrie shells, manillas and Katanga crosses. Its combination of historical narrative and numismatic detail is intended for collectors, researchers and readers interested in African history.

Developed from more than a decade of research and earlier numismatic publications, the volume offers a continent-wide perspective on how coins reflect colonial administration, trade and changing political authority.

Scope and approach
The chapters are organized principally by colonial power and broadly by the chronology of European expansion. They introduce the relevant territorial history, political developments and monetary arrangements before discussing colonial coinage. The coverage includes powers whose African presence predated the late nineteenth-century Scramble for Africa, as well as the major imperial administrations that emerged thereafter.

The principal focus is official coinage directly associated with European colonial rule. The author deliberately excludes specialist coverage of tokens, patterns and varieties. Certain independent or partially independent territories are considered where their monetary history was closely linked to European influence. Separate thematic chapters address the Maria Theresa thaler and selected forms of traditional African money.

Readers and reference value
The book is aimed at numismatists, collectors of world and colonial coinage, historians, museum and library collections, and readers interested in African history. Its distinctive contribution is to bring together many colonial powers and territories in a single historical narrative, while keeping coins and monetary developments at the centre of the account.

The volume includes a bibliography, an appendix on former African territories and colonies, and indexes of geographical names and currencies. These reference tools support readers who wish to follow a particular territory, currency or colonial administration across the wider historical account.

BOOK DETAILS

• TITLE: The Coinage of Colonial Africa: An Historical Overview
• AUTHOR: Frederik Tielens ·
• YEAR:2026
• LANGUAGE: English
• PAGES: 340
• ISBN 979-8246532935 (Paperback)
• ISBN 979-8250004534 (Hardcover)
• AUTHOR WEBSITE: www.frederiktielens.com

For more information, or to order, see:
The Coinage of Colonial Africa: An Historical Overview (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQM2S3SP)
he Coinage of Colonial Africa: An Historical Overview (https://www.amazon.com/Coinage-Colonial-Africa-Historical-Overview/dp/B0GMV22B5W/)

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