2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Islander's Return, Gold Proof Issue

Alderney was evacuated in June 1940 — the only British jurisdiction to be entirely emptied of its civilian population before German occupation. Residents had roughly two days' notice. Many left with almost nothing, scattering to mainland Britain for the duration of the war. The islanders' return in 1945 is what this coin commemorates, though the fiftieth anniversary issue arrived a half-century later when the small dependency had recently resumed striking its own coinage after decades of relying on British currency.

The two-ounce gold proof format placed this well outside everyday collector reach in 1995, and mintages for Alderney gold proofs of this period were typically modest — often under 500 pieces.