5 Pounds - Elizabeth II Battle of Britain, Gold Proof

Issued to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, this coin enters a crowded commemorative field — the battle is among the most heavily monetized events in British military history. What distinguishes Jersey's stake in the subject is largely geographic: the Channel Islands were the only British-administered territory occupied by German forces during the war, falling in June 1940 just as the aerial campaign over southern England was beginning. Jersey's population endured nearly five years of occupation, making the island's relationship to that summer's fighting considerably more immediate than most issuing authorities can claim.