The Domaines Nationaux de Sainte-Hélène is the landholding authority managing the French state's property on Saint Helena — the island where Napoleon died in 1821 — and on Ascension Island. This 2021 issue belongs to a long-running private token coinage tradition on Saint Helena, where the French government has maintained territorial and memorial interests since acquiring Napoleon's former residence, Longwood House, in 1858.
The copper-nickel-iron composition is a deliberate nod to earlier issues in the series, which have historically used non-standard alloys to distinguish them from circulating British coinage on the island.
The Domaines Nationaux de Sainte-Hélène is the landholding authority managing the French state's property on Saint Helena — the island where Napoleon died in 1821 — and on Ascension Island. This 2021 issue belongs to a long-running private token coinage tradition on Saint Helena, where the French government has maintained territorial and memorial interests since acquiring Napoleon's former residence, Longwood House, in 1858.
The copper-nickel-iron composition is a deliberate nod to earlier issues in the series, which have historically used non-standard alloys to distinguish them from circulating British coinage on the island.