50 Pence - Elizabeth II WWI - Communications

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.