Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
10 Pounds - Elizabeth II Naval Aviation - HMS Ark Royal
| Issuer | States of Guernsey |
|---|---|
| Year | 2009 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 6.5 mm |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II BAILIWICK OF GUERNSEY IRB 2009 |
| Reverse description | The reverse depicts HMS Ark Royal, a Royal Navy aircraft carrier, rendered in detailed relief occupying the lower right portion of the field, shown underway at sea. Above the vessel, three aircraft representing a century of naval aviation are depicted in selective 24-carat gold plating: a vintage biplane, a de Havilland Sea Vixen or similar jet aircraft, and a BAE Systems Harrier jump jet. To the lower left, a coloured enamel roundel bearing the legend FLY NAVY surmounts a Union Flag motif. The upper arc of the coin carries the inscription 100 YEARS OF NAVAL AVIATION, while the denomination TEN POUNDS appears in the lower exergue. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
HMS Ark Royal (R07), the Invincible-class carrier this coin commemorates, was at the time of issue still in active service — she wouldn't be decommissioned until 2011, a decision made under the Strategic Defence and Security Review that blindsided much of the Royal Navy establishment. The ship was paid off with no replacement carrier ready, leaving Britain briefly without fixed-wing naval aviation for the first time in a century.
Guernsey has issued commemorative crown-sized pieces in this weight class fairly routinely, but the selective gold plating on this example targets specific design elements rather than flooding the whole reverse — a production technique that requires a secondary electroplating pass after striking.