Alderney was the only British territory under German occupation during World War II, a fact that gives this island's D-Day commemoratives a weight no mainland British issue can claim. The liberation of Alderney in May 1945 came nearly a year after the Normandy landings — the garrison held out long after the surrounding Norman coast had fallen.
As a Crown Dependency, Alderney has issued commemorative coinage under royal authority since 1989, with face-value pieces technically legal tender despite never entering circulation.
Alderney was the only British territory under German occupation during World War II, a fact that gives this island's D-Day commemoratives a weight no mainland British issue can claim. The liberation of Alderney in May 1945 came nearly a year after the Normandy landings — the garrison held out long after the surrounding Norman coast had fallen.
As a Crown Dependency, Alderney has issued commemorative coinage under royal authority since 1989, with face-value pieces technically legal tender despite never entering circulation.