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4 Pounds - Elizabeth II Medusa
| Issuer | British Indian Ocean Territory |
|---|---|
| Year | 2018 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 50 mm |
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| Obverse description | High-relief effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, crowned and draped, wearing a pearl necklace and drop earring. The portrait, produced by the Pobjoy Mint, depicts the Queen in a mature likeness with elaborately styled hair beneath a jewelled crown adorned with floral and foliate motifs. The circular legend reads 'ELIZABETH II · 2018 · BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY ·' around the periphery, with the Pobjoy Mint initials 'PM' incused below the truncation. The antique finish lends the field a characteristic matte, antiqued appearance. |
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| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II • 2018 • BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY • PM |
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| Additional information |
The British Indian Ocean Territory — consisting almost entirely of the Chagos Archipelago — has no permanent civilian population and no functioning local economy, making it one of the more transparent fictions in modern numismatics: coins are struck solely for collector revenue, with the issuing "territory" existing primarily as a joint UK-US military installation. Diego Garcia, the main atoll, has housed a strategic US air and naval base since the early 1970s, its indigenous Chagossian population having been forcibly removed between 1968 and 1973 — a displacement British courts have repeatedly ruled unlawful.
The Medusa issue belongs to a broader bullion and collector series capitalizing on mythology themes across multiple two-ounce formats in this period.