Posts Tagged ‘British Isles’
Jersey and Guernsey celebrate 50 years of the 50p!
With just over a month to go until the official 50th anniversary of the 50p coin, celebrations have now hit Jersey and Guernsey as the British Crown Dependencies mark this monumental numismatic milestone.
As the world’s first seven-sided coin, the 50p caused quite a stir when it was first issued in 1969, however it has since become one of the most popular and highly collected coins in circulation, both across Britain and its Crown Dependencies.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary, a unique pair of Jersey and Guernsey 50p coins have been specially re-issued this year.
This set includes re-issued versions of the 1969 Ducal Cap 50p from the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the 1969 Coat of Arms from the Bailiwick of Jersey. These were the first 50p coins issued in the British Crown Dependencies and the pair have now been re-struck with the 2019 year date in Brilliant Uncirculated quality for collectors.
Whilst Jersey and Guernsey coins aren’t legal tender in the UK, they have a history of becoming highly collectable due to their low mintage figures…
Guernsey 50p Mintage Figures
Two definitive 50p coin designs have been issued in Guernsey since decimalisation – The Ducal Cap and Freesia Flowers.
The 1969 Ducal Cap 50p has been re-issued in the smaller specification for the 50th Anniversary of the 50p.
Anthony Wagner’s design features the Ducal Cap of the Duke of Normandy on the reverse.
Unlike UK coins, the obverse of the Guernsey Freesia Flowers 50p feature the Guernsey Coat of Arms, which includes three lions next to Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait. This makes the 50p particularly distinguishable.
Whilst Guernsey coins aren’t legal tender in the UK, they do turn up in our change from time to time. And if you’re lucky enough to come across one, make sure you check to see if you’ve been able to find Guernsey’s rarest definitive 50p – the 1987 Freesia Flowers.
A tiny 5,000 Freesia Flowers 50ps were released in 1987 – that means there’s only enough for roughly 8% of the population of Guernsey to own one of these coins each!
Jersey 50p Mintage Figures
Two definitive 50p coin designs have also been issued in Jersey since decimalisation – the Shield and Grosnez Castle.
The 1969 Shield 50p has been re-issued in the smaller specification for the 50th Anniversary of the 50p.
George Kruger Gray’s design features three lions on a shield on the reverse. The obverse features Arnold Machin’s portrait of Her Majesty the Queen.
Again, these coins aren’t legal tender in the UK, so if you do find one in your change it would have found its way to you by accident, perhaps due to a holiday maker spending it by mistake.
Whether you find yourself checking your change in Jersey or the UK, you’ll want to keep a watchful eye on any Grosnez Castle 50ps that you might be lucky enough to find, as one year in particular is very rare…
Just 10,000 Grosnez Castle 50ps were issued in 2003 – compare that to the 23,583,000 Britannia 50ps released in the UK in 2003 and you’ll appreciate just how rare this coin really is!
Have you been lucky enough to come across any Jersey or Guernsey 50ps, either in circulation in the UK or when you’ve been on holiday to the British Isles? And will you be securing the special 50th Anniversary pair to mark this milestone moment?
Own the BRAND NEW 50th Anniversary of the 50p Pair
This unique pair of 50p coins includes Jersey and Guernsey’s first year of issue designs 50ps from 1969 – re-issued with the 2019 year date!
Why is the Tosha Cat £2 one of the Isle of Man’s most sought-after coins?
In September 2011, the fourth Commonwealth Youth Games were hosted on the Isle of Man and to commemorate this sporting event, Pobjoy Mint issued a new £2 coin on behalf of the Isle of Man Treasury.
This £2 coin featured the official Commonwealth Youth Games Mascot, Tosha the Cat and the official logo of the games.
But what makes this £2 coin so special?
The name ‘Tosha’, meaning ‘first’ in Manx Gaelic is fitting considering this was the first time the games were held on the island. However, even though this significant sporting event and the fun design representing it would make this coin a great find for collectors, the popularity of the Tosha Cat £2 on the secondary market remains a force to be reckoned with…
The rise of the Tosha Cat £2
So how did this £2 coin come to be so popular?
Whilst rarity is normally a large factor in how collectable a coin is, mintage figures for British Isles coins are notoriously hard to track down and this coin is no exception. No one actually knows the true mintage figure, so it can’t be said how rare the coin is, although we do know that British Isles coins typically have lower mintages than UK coins due to the smaller population.
One thing we do know for certain is that the Isle of Man Tosha Cat £2 is definitely sought-after amongst collectors.
Although the Tosha Cat £2 was issued in 2011, it wasn’t until it was posted on Facebook coin groups in 2018 that the price started skyrocketing on the secondary market. In fact, in 2018 this coin became ‘Coin of the Year’ on Facebook coin groups, and this is where it really found its success.
Following the Facebook hype surrounding the Tosha £2, eBay bidding wars began. At a time when the Kew Gardens was selling for around £80 on eBay, this coin was regularly selling for double that!
Listed for thousands of pounds on eBay!
In fact, listings on eBay continue to regularly exceed £100 and even go up to thousands of pounds for this Isle of Man coin!
Although the coin may not actually sell for such eye watering amounts, a quick check of the recent ‘sold’ listings shows that some collectors are willing to pay more than 50 times face value to own this coin!
More commonly the coin sells for around £12, which is still an impressive 6 times its face value.
Beware of Fakes!
As is the story with the Kew Gardens 50p, the popularity of this coin has unfortunately led to fakes being produced and sold on the secondary market, taking advantage of unsuspecting collectors who would be willing to pay well over face value to own the coin.
If you’re looking to secure the Isle of Man Tosha Cat £2 for your collection, it’s certainly worth doing your research, buying/swapping from a reputable seller (look for eBay feedback or successful swaps on Facebook groups) and checking the images of the coin to make sure it looks legitimate.
The image above gives you an idea of what a fake Tosha Cat £2 coin may look like.
Fake coins will be overly shiny, the strike will be much less defined and the coin may well weigh less than the standard 12g £2 coin.
Popular Isle of Man Coins
The Isle of Man has released some fantastic coins over the years, including the much-loved Christmas 50ps, TT race coins and most recently, this year’s hugely popular release of the Peter Pan 50ps.
As the Isle of Man has some wonderful coin designs and really exciting collecting opportunities, you can see why more and more UK collectors are turning their attention to British Isles coins. But do you have any in your collection?
Own both 2019 Isle of Man TT £2 coins!
If you’re interested in collecting Isle of Man coins, you’ll love the 2019 Isle of Man TT £2 coin duo, which is now available in Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
All you need is faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust… And a Peter Pan 50p!
The wait is finally over and it is with great excitement that we can reveal the brand new Isle of Man Peter Pan 50p coins to you all…
These amazing coins have been developed in partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity to celebrate 90 years since Peter Pan author, J.M. Barrie, gifted all future rights in Peter Pan to them.
Our friends at the Westminster Collection say, “It has been an honour working with this fantastic charity to create the WORLD’S FIRST Peter Pan 50ps, and for every coin sold a donation will go directly to GOSH Charity to support the hospital’s most urgent needs: fund support services, pioneering research, equipment and refurbishment.”
Peter Pan remains one of the most cherished and loved children’s stories of all time and as such demand for these new 50p coins is expected to be extremely high.
Whether you’re an avid 50p collector, a Peter Pan fan, or just a big kid at heart, I’m sure these coins are bound to sweep you off your feet.
The Official Peter Pan 50p Coin
The brand new Peter Pan 50p features an engraving of David Wyatt’s illustration from the Oxford University Press edition of Peter Pan, alongside a well-known and much loved quote from the book.
This is the first time ever that Peter Pan has featured on a 50p coin and I’m sure that this magical design will go down a treat with collectors, especially following the popularity of previous book character coins.
The COMPLETE Peter Pan 50p Set
Six coins have been created in total, each featuring a different quote and an accompanying specially commissioned design showcasing one of David Wyatt’s stunning illustrations from the Oxford University Press edition of Peter Pan.
Each coin is dedicated to a favourite character from the book, including Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Tick-Tock the Crocodile, Tinkerbell, Wendy and Nana.
Whilst I’m sure you’ll agree each design is truly beautiful, my personal favourite has got to be Tinkerbell! Let me know in the comments below which design you prefer.
But these coins aren’t just available in Brilliant Uncirculated quality; they will in fact be available in a range of other finishes too…
The Silver Proof Peter Pan 50p Coins
Struck in Sterling Silver to an immaculate Proof Finish, these coins feature an impressive full-colour illustration of the stunning designs, really bringing the magic of the story to life.
Silver Proof 50p’s are amongst the most sought-after new issues around and with JUST 10,000 of the individual Peter Pan Silver Proof 50p and JUST 1,995 of the Silver Proof set available worldwide, a sell-out is expected.
The Gold Proof Peter Pan 50p
This is the crème de la crème of the range you could say…
Struck from 22 Carat Gold to a perfect Proof Finish, JUST 500 lucky collectors worldwide will be able to own this prestigious new coin.
New Gold Proof 50p’s have a strong sell-out history and high demand is expected for the Gold Proof Peter Pan 50p.
The British Isles really have had some fantastic releases recently and I must say that these coins from the Isle of Man have got to be some of my favourites! But what do you think about these coins? Let us know in the comments below!
Add the 2019 Peter Pan 50p coins to your collection!
These beautiful new coins are now available to add to your British Isles collection, starting from £6.25 for the individual Peter Pan coin in Brilliant Uncirculated quality and £37.50 for the Brilliant Uncirculated set.
If you’d like to take a piece of magic home with you, click here to order your Peter Pan 50p coins.