Gibraltar's 5 pence coinage underwent a size reduction in 1990, shrinking to match the contemporaneous British 5p reform — London had reduced its own five pence piece the same year, and Gibraltar followed suit to maintain practical parity in a territory where both currencies circulate interchangeably. The Barbary macaque, native to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, has featured on Gibraltarian small denomination coinage since the territory began issuing its own distinctive pieces in the early 1970s.
The KM#22.2 designation distinguishes this reduced-flan type from the larger KM#22.1 predecessor. Both share the same basic design — the change is purely dimensional.
Gibraltar's 5 pence coinage underwent a size reduction in 1990, shrinking to match the contemporaneous British 5p reform — London had reduced its own five pence piece the same year, and Gibraltar followed suit to maintain practical parity in a territory where both currencies circulate interchangeably. The Barbary macaque, native to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, has featured on Gibraltarian small denomination coinage since the territory began issuing its own distinctive pieces in the early 1970s.
The KM#22.2 designation distinguishes this reduced-flan type from the larger KM#22.1 predecessor. Both share the same basic design — the change is purely dimensional.