Zambia Ngwee Coinage (1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, and 50 Ngwee) 1968 to Date

Zambia was called Northern Rhodesia until 1964. In 1968 they moved from British shillings and pence to their own denominations of ngwee and kwacha. This page covers all ngwee coins after 1967.

Requester Big-Mac asked about a 1 ngwee coin. It was issued until 1983 and was made first of bronze and then copper-clad steel. The obverse shows a bust of K.D. Kaunda, who served as Zambia's president from 1964 to 1991. On the reverse of the coin is an aardvark above the denomination. Other denominations use different metals and different patterns. Most patterns feature cool African animals. These are terrific, nice-looking coins for new collectors. And it won't cost much to assemble a nice collection.

One ngwee is equal to 1/100 of a Zambian kwacha, which is the basic currency of Zambia.

Since these are modern coins made of non-precious metal, they carry very low value. All but a few special coins are worth less than $1 US dollar:

ALL COINS, ALL DENOMINATIONS EXCEPT THOSE 'SPECIALS' BELOW:
worn: less than $1 US dollar approximate catalog value
average circulated: less than $1
well preserved: $1
fully uncirculated: $2

A few 'special' coins carry slightly more value. In the list below, values are shown for fully uncirculated coins. Circulated examples are worth much less.

SPECIAL COINS
20 ngwee 1968 to 1988: $3 fully uncirculated
50 ngwee with corn and 'grow more food': $7
50 ngwee 1972 and 1983: $5
50 ngwee with United Nations logo: $8

Please note that all values on this page are catalogue values. Be sure you understand how catalogue values work. They are inflated values that are normally higher than actual buy and sell values. Refer to our Important Terminology page for a complete description of catalogue values.
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