Catalog
8 Doubles
| Issuer | Guernsey |
|---|---|
| Year | 1834-1858 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 8 Doubles (1⁄240) |
| 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) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The arms of Guernsey displayed on a shield featuring three passant guardant lions arranged vertically on a vertically lined field, centrally positioned in the coin's field. The shield is encircled by a wreath of laurel branches tied at the base with a ribbon bow, with a sprig issuing from the top of the wreath. The legend GUERNESEY arcs along the upper periphery in raised Latin capitals, and the entire design is enclosed within a dentilated border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The denomination numeral 8 appears prominently at the top of the field, with the word DOUBLES inscribed in large raised Latin capitals across the centre, and the date below. The entire design is framed by an open wreath of laurel branches tied at the base with a ribbon bow, with the whole enclosed within a dentilated border. The composition is bold and typographic, with no figurative elements, allowing the denomination and date to dominate the reverse field. |
| 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's doubles denominations were unique to the island and bore no direct equivalence to British sterling — the double was a local unit, with eight doubles equaling one penny local currency. The island's States approved copper coinage in the 1830s partly to address a chronic shortage of small change, with English copper having long been insufficient for everyday retail transactions in St. Peter Port's markets. These were struck at the Soho Mint in Birmingham under contract, the same facility that had supplied mechanized coinage to dozens of jurisdictions following Matthew Boulton's earlier innovations.
The series ran across multiple dates between 1834 and 1858 with known die variations between issues.