(sold for $81.0)

1894, British Guiana/West Indies, Queen Victoria. Silver 4 Pence Coin. XF-

Mint Year: 1894 Reference: KM-26. Denomination: 4 Pence Condition: Light scratches on Victoria´s cheek in obverse, otherwise XF! Material: Sterling Silver (.925) Diameter: 16mm Weight: 1.86gm

Obverse: Crowned bust of Queen Victoria left. Legend: VICTORIA QUEEN

Reverse: Crown above value (FOUR PENCE) within wreath. Date (1894) below. Legend: BRITISH GUIANA AND WEST INDIES / 1894

em>. Bid with Confidence!

British Guiana (also spelled Guyana) was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, since 1966 known as the independent nation of Guyana. Its indigenous people are the Arawak-speaking Lucayan, part of the Taino people.

The first European to discover Guiana was Sir Walter Raleigh, an English explorer. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle there, starting in the early 17th century, when they founded the colonies of Essequibo and Berbice, adding Demerara in the mid-18th century. In 1796, Great Britain took over these three colonies during hostilities with the French, who had occupied the Netherlands. Britain returned control to the Batavian Republic in 1802, but captured the colonies a year later during the Napoleonic Wars. The colonies were officially ceded to the United Kingdom in 1814, and consolidated into a single colony in 1831. The colony's capital was at Georgetown (known as Stabroek prior to 1812).

As the British developed the colony for sugarcane plantations, they imported many Africans as slave labour. The economy became more diversified since the late 19th century, but has relied on resource exploitation. Guyana became independent of the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966.