Guinea Coin, 1686

First minted in 1663, the 'Guinea', took its name from the West Coast of Africa, from which most of the gold was imported. For a period after the formation of the Royal African Company in 1672, the guinea coin featured the company's elephant and castle logo (seen here beneath the King's head).

Credit/copyright
© Museum of London

Accession number
Museum of London, NN18213

Themes
Africa before Transatlantic Enslavement