Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
50 Pence - Elizabeth II WWI - Communications
| Issuer | States of Guernsey |
|---|---|
| Year | 2014 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | KM# 201 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a dramatic First World War communications scene in high-relief medallic style. In the foreground, a crouching soldier wearing a steel helmet operates a field wireless set, a portable communications box visible beside him. Behind him, a standing soldier in a Brodie helmet releases a carrier pigeon, the bird depicted in flight with wings outstretched toward the upper field. The legend SAFE, THOUGH ALL SAFETY'S LOST is prominently inscribed across the left portion of the field in bold capital lettering of varying size, referencing a verse from Rudyard Kipling's poem 'Mary's Son', evoking the courage of wartime signallers. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Guernsey occupied an unusual position during the First World War — the only part of the British Isles to send a higher proportion of its male population to the front than any county in Britain proper. The island's communications infrastructure, particularly its telephone exchange and telegraph links to the mainland, became operationally critical during the mobilisation period of 1914. This 2014 issue is part of a broader WWI centenary series commissioned by the States of Guernsey, one of several distinct themes spread across multiple denominations and finishes.
Gold-plated cupro-nickel issues of this type were struck to collector-grade tolerances but not legal tender in active circulation.