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a close up of a silver medal with a lion on ita close up of a silver coin with arabic writing on it
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1452 - GUINEA - GUINEA Labé (region of), Fouta-Djalon. 5-franc set,…
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Estimate €750
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Description
GUINEA - GUINEA Labé (region of), Fouta-Djalon. 5-franc set, 1879, Paris (A. Duseaux). No. 2; Silver – 24.91 g – 36.8 mm – 12 h Edge: (diamond shape with ‘AD’ and a dove, representing A. Duseaux in Paris) and ‘ARGENT 950 M/M’. Specimen mounted with a loop. Very fine. The Kahel coins or medals struck by Olivier de Sanderval all bear the date 1879, the eve of the first of his five journeys to Fouta-Djalon. At that time, his activities were part of a strictly private initiative, undertaken without an official mandate from the French government, aimed at acquiring land on the Kahel Plateau – the true ‘water tower’ of West Africa – and linking it to the sea by railway. It is therefore logical that the design and minting of these issues were also a personal initiative. In this context, the Arabic inscription of his name, ‘Sanderval’, appears particularly significant: intended for an audience familiar with Arabic script – the language of culture and administration amongst the Muslim elites of Fouta-Djalon – it enabled him to be clearly identified by local chiefs and dignitaries. Sanderval’s career indeed shows that his relations with the rulers of Fouta-Djalon were based on a succession of treaties of friendship, negotiations and exchanges of gifts, culminating in the almamy (the king) in 1888 of the concession of the Kahel, accompanied, according to sources, by the right to levy taxes and mint coins. In this context, it is conceivable that these coins or medals were not intended for actual circulation, but instead served as honorary gifts or diplomatic presents given to local chiefs, much like the Indian Peace Medals distributed in North America or the silver medals from La Pérouse’s expedition in June 1785. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that one specimen is fitted with a loop, which would have allowed it to be worn – perhaps by a local chief or dignitary who had dealt with Sanderval – more as a badge of prestige or a token of alliance. Sources: Entreprises-coloniales.fr/afrique-occidentale/Aime_Olivier_de_Sanderval.pdf Jacques DECLERCQ, ‘A little-known medal from the Consulate. The Medal of Loyalty for Indian Chiefs’, Articles de phaléristique (online journal), 2025-S-11 https://silentworldfoundation.org.au/object/sf000695/
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About the sale A selection of coins and medals from the collection of an amateur collector from Burgundy (Part 2)
Auction location
Auction time 09/05/2026 at 9:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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