CNG 100, Lot: 643. Estimate $1500. Sold for $3000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ETHIOPIA, Ethiopian Empire. Zewditu I. Empress, 1916-1930. Pattern AV Werk (20mm, 5.49 g, 9h). Addis Ababa mint. Dated EE 1917 (1925). Bust left / Lion of Judah. Gill Y-21a; KM –; Friedberg 26. Near EF, hairlines, rim bruises. Extremely rare.

From the collection of Dr. Lawrence A. Adams, purchased from Dennis Gill, July 1993.

Empress Zewditu ascended the throne in 1917 following the deposition of Lij Yasu. She was largely a figurehead, however, with the regent Ras Tafari (the future Haile Selassie) possessing real power. As such, it appears to have been considered prudent to keep Zewditu’s coinage limited in size, while coins of Menelik II continued to be struck during her reign. The obverse dies for the empress’ coins were made in Paris and were sent to Addis Ababa where they were wedded with reverse dies used for the Menelik coinage. In order to emphasize that these were presentation pieces rather than regular issues, the denominational markings were frequently – and quite crudely – effaced from the reverse dies. Coins with the value preserved in the exergue as on the current piece command a higher premium.