Catalog
25 ECU Silver, Piedfort
| Issuer | Tower Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1992 |
| Type | Fantasy coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central helmeted bust of Edward the Black Prince (1330–1376), depicted facing forward in three-quarter view, clad in armour and holding a raised sword, conveying a commanding regal presence. The Prince of Wales Feathers plume appears prominently above the bust, with two smaller plumes flanking the design at either side of the coin's field. The legend 'TWENTY FIVE ECU' appears in the upper field, with 'Edward the Black Prince' inscribed across the lower portion. The Welsh motto 'ICH DIEN' (I Serve) is inscribed within the design, alongside the denomination numeral '25' and the date '1992'. |
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| Additional information |
The ECU — European Currency Unit — was never legal tender in the United Kingdom, making British ECU issues an unusual exercise in political hedging. The 1992 date places this piedfort squarely in the aftermath of Black Wednesday, when sterling's forced ejection from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on 16 September effectively ended any near-term British path toward European monetary integration. A piedfort of a currency the issuing nation had just repudiated carries its own quiet irony.
Piéforts from the Tower Mint in this period were struck for the collector market, double-thickness against the standard flan.