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5 Pounds - Elizabeth II Battle of Britain 1940, Silver Proof
| Issuer | States of Guernsey |
|---|---|
| Year | 2008 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 28.28 g |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a dynamic wartime scene commemorating the Battle of Britain, 1940. In the foreground, a RAF pilot in full flying kit is shown running at speed, conveying urgency and readiness for a scramble. Behind him, a Supermarine Spitfire is positioned on the ground, while a formation of aircraft engages in aerial combat in the upper field. An incuse cartouche in the lower central field bears the inscription BATTLE OF BRITAIN 1940. The curved legend HISTORY OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE arcs around the upper periphery, with FIVE POUNDS inscribed along the lower border. |
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| Additional information |
Guernsey's choice to commemorate the Battle of Britain carries an irony the coin itself cannot convey: the island was occupied by German forces from June 1940 through May 1945, making its civilian population among the few British subjects who lived under Nazi administration for the duration of the war. The RAF's victory in the skies that autumn was, for Guernseymen, a distant event they experienced only through German-controlled radio and rumor.
The KM#179a designation distinguishes this silver proof from a base-metal circulation issue struck the same year.