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5 Pounds - Elizabeth II Alfred the Great, 4th Portrait
| Issuer | States of Alderney |
|---|---|
| Year | 2009 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Thickness | 3 mm |
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| Obverse description | Fourth portrait effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the George IV State Diadem, with elaborately styled hair. The truncation of the bust bears the engraver's initials 'IRB' (Ian Rank-Broadley). The legend 'ALDERNEY ELIZABETH II' arcs around the upper periphery, with the date '2009' positioned at the lower left, all set against a deeply mirrored proof field. |
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| Mintage | 2009 - Proof |
| Additional information |
Alderney's commemorative program has long operated as a revenue vehicle for the Bailiwick of Guernsey, issuing coins with no genuine circulation expectation. This 2009 piece marks the 1,100th anniversary of Alfred's death in 899 AD — a king who reorganized English defenses against Viking incursion, standardized a network of fortified burhs, and is the only English monarch to have earned the epithet "the Great" in historical consensus.
Alfred also personally supervised translations of Latin texts into Old English, including Boethius and Bede, making him an unusually literate figure for a 9th-century military commander.