5 Pounds - Elizabeth II Battle of Britain - Hawker Hurricane, Silver Proof

Guernsey's choice to issue a Battle of Britain commemorative carries an irony the catalog entry shouldn't ignore: the island was occupied by German forces from June 1940 through May 1945, meaning the battle being celebrated here was fought while Guernsey itself was under Nazi administration. The RAF's victory in the skies over southern England did not liberate the Channel Islands — that came nearly five years later, after VE Day.

The Hurricane, often overshadowed by the Spitfire in popular memory, actually accounted for more Luftwaffe kills during the battle than all other defenses combined.