1 Sovereign - Elizabeth II VE Day

Alderney was the only British territory actually occupied by Nazi forces during World War II, a fact that gives this island's commemorative issues a different weight than most Channel Island releases. The occupation lasted from July 1940 until liberation on 16 May 1945 — a day after the official VE Day declaration — and the island's civilian population had been evacuated beforehand, leaving it largely empty under German garrison.

The rhodium-platinum gilding over the gold flan is an unusual finishing technique for a sovereign-format piece, introduced to achieve a two-tone contrast effect that standard gold alloy cannot produce alone.