Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 5 Centimes 1891, KM# 1, Comoros, Said Ali bin Said Omar
  • 5 Centimes 1891, KM# 1, Comoros, Said Ali bin Said Omar, Privy mark fasces
  • 5 Centimes 1891, KM# 1, Comoros, Said Ali bin Said Omar, Privy mark torch
Description

Grande Comore (Swahili: Ngazidja) is the largest island in the Comoros archipelago, located off the coast of Africa. Historically, Grande Comore was divided into several sultanates.

Said Ali bin Said Omar (died 10 February 1916) was the Sultan of Grande Comore and the island's first and last paramount ruler. In 1886, after usurping the nine sultanates of Ngazidja, he signed a treaty with France, making Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Mohéli French protectorates. Exiled to Réunion in 1892, he witnessed the French declaration of Comoros as a single territory in 1908, and its annexation to Madagascar in 1912. Awarded compensation by French courts for his losses, he died in 1916 in Tamatave, Madagascar.

Engraver: Henri-Auguste Patey

Obverse

Depicts 4-line Arabic inscription "Sultan of Ngazidja Said Ali ibn Said Omar" within a beaded circle enclosed by Arabic inscription "Protectorate of the glorious French Republic".

يجة
سلطان انجز
سيد علي ابن
سيد عمر
حماية دولة فرنسا الفخيمة

Reverse

Depicts the value in Arabic at the top, with a three-line Arabic inscription below reading "State of Ngazidja," "May God protect it," and the Hijri date. This is encircled by a wreath of Ficus tiliifolia and Wielandia fadenii, tied with a ribbon at the bottom. The mint mark below on the left, the privy mark of the of Chief Engraver on the right.

The Ficus tiliifolia, endemic to Madagascar and the Comoros Islands, is cultivated for its fiber and edible fruits. It grows in high-elevation forests, up to 1,700 meters above sea level, reaching heights of 15 to 20 meters. This fig tree relies on a specialized wasp species for fertilization.

The Wielandia fadenii is a shrub or small tree from the Phyllanthaceae family, native to Mayotte in the Comoros. It ranges from 1.5 to 15 meters in height. While not yet classified by the IUCN, the Missouri Botanical Gardens considers it Near Threatened due to local deforestation.

• Mintmark of the Paris Mint (Monnaie de Paris in Pessac): Cornucopia (horn of plenty) and A
• Privy mark of Chief Engraver: Fasces - Jean Lagrange (1880-1896) or Torch - Henri-Auguste-Jules Patey (1896-1930)

٥ س
دولة انجزيجة
حرسها الله
١٣٠٨
سنة
A

Edge

5 Centimes

Sultanate
KM# 1 Schön# 1 Lec# 1
Characteristics
Material Bronze
Weight 5 g
Diameter 25 mm
Thickness 1.22 mm
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Alt # KM# 1.1, KM# 1.2
Mint
Paris Mint (A)

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