February 6, 2024

Part 11: NCLT Commemoratives 1972-2000

Modern commemorative coins present a problem of sorts to some numismatists. These coins, also known as NCLT (non-circulating legal tender), are designed to be sold directly to collectors and are not intended to circulate like true coinage. They really are more closely related to medals than coinage. In 1972 Jersey started issuing NCLT on a limited basis. At first, they did have a connection with Jersey, but now the issues honor anything and everything. Most NCLT from Jersey have at least some kind of eye appeal and about 50% of my visitors collect them.

The description of these coins is for the most part lifted from the British Royal Mint documents obtained with the coins. I might have added a word or two here or there, but I can't take credit for the documentation.

Should I include these pieces on this site? My answer at one time was a yes, but unfortunately now there is a proliferation of issue I cannot keep up. Should you collect them? That is your decision.

Common Obverses (click on image to enlarge)
1972	1981
1985-1989 and 1995	1990
1993	1996
1997	2000

Fifty Pence 25th Wedding Anniversary (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1972     35       23.00

The Royal Mace of the Bailiff of Jersey, borne before the Bailiff at the sittings of the Royal Court and of the Assembly of the States of Jersey, was presented by King Charles II to Jersey on the 29th November 1663 in gratitude for the hospitality, which he received from the Island on two occasions during his exile. The mace consists of eleven pieces, made of silver gilt, is 4 ft. 9 ½ inches long, weighs 237 ounces (14 lbs. 13 ozs.) and bears no hallmarks. Engraved on the foot knop is a Latin inscription, which translated reads:

"Not all doth he deem worthy of such a reward Charles II, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, as a proof of his royal affection towards the Isle of Jersey (in which he has been twice received in safety when he was excluded from the remainder of his dominions) has willed that this Royal Mace should be consecrated to posterity and has ordered that hereafter it shall be carried before the Bailiffs, in perpetual remembrance of their fidelity not only to his august father Charles I but to His Majesty during the fury of the civil wars, when the Island was maintained by the illustrious Philip and George de Carteret, Knights, Bailiffs and Governors of the said Island."

Things to note:

The reverse depicting the Royal Mace of the Bailiff of Jersey is designed by Norman Sillman.
This was part of a 4 coin set and has a mintage of 23,500.
The Royal Visit Two Pounds Commemorative is very similar to this piece.

All of the 1972 Royal Wedding commemoratives were minted at York Stampings Ltd. Birmingham. The dies were cut by H.B. Sale Ltd., Birmingham while the blanks were prepared by Sheffield Smelting Co. Ltd.

An article in the Birmingham Daily Post of Thursday 05 July 1973 give details about the contract for these coins.

The Royal Mint Advisory Committee discussed these coin at their 167th meeting on 30th November 1972.

One Pound 25th Wedding Anniversary (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1972     36       30.00

Another coin for the Silver Wedding 1972 commemorative series. The reverse, designed by Norman Sillman and modeled by the artist Terry George, has three florets of the Jersey Lily (Amaryllis belladonna).

An uniface trial striking of the reverse is known to exist.

Two Pounds

25th Wedding Anniversary
(click on image to enlarge)	This painting by Philip John Ouless shows the Alexandra as a fully rigged barque with dark hull and with flags and a pennant. The Casquet lighthouses are in the background.

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1972     37       36.00

In 1977, Jersey issued this stamp
featuring this coin for the
"Centenary of Currency Reform."

The third silver coin in the Silver Wedding 1972 commemorative series. Pictured is the 306 ton barque, Alexandra, built and registered in Jersey in 1865. The sailing ship was owned by Messrs. Le Quesne, Pallot and Mallet of Jersey. In 1860 Jersey had 18 shipyards and in 1865 there were 34 vessels on the stocks, but by 1880 the industry had sharply declined because of the steamboat and the replacement of wooden vessels by iron.

Like all of the Silver Wedding 1972 coins, this coin was designed by Norman Sillman and modeled by the artist Terry George.

Royal Wedding (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1981     52       38.61

A Letter from Ian Monins to Michael Rizzello

In commemoration of the marriage of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, the States Treasury of Jersey authorized this commemorative. The reverse of the coin depicts the Prince and Princess and the designed was prepared by Michael Rizzello.

Things to note about this series:

There were 1,500 coins minted in gold and 21,000 in silver. Although 150,000 standard coins were minted, in 1988 53,675 were returned and melted.
In 1990, 2670 silver proof coins were destroyed by the mint, thus the total surviving mintage is 18370.
Of the gold coins, 550 were returned by Jersey in September 1982, 278 were scrapped by the Mint in May 1987, and 16 were returned in June 1990, i.e, a total of 844 pieces were melted by the Mint, leaving a true total of 656 coins.
The gold coins were minted at Birmingham Mint Pressings Limited. The remaining coins were minted at the British Royal Mint.
See the Royal Mint documents MINT-34-T2-Z.pdf, MINT-35-CRH-Z.pdf, and MINT-34-T5-Z.pdf for information concerning the design and mintages of this coin.
See the Royal Mint document MINT-35-CRL-Z.pdf for information concerning the return of coinage.

40th Anniversary of Liberation
(click on image to enlarge)	The destroyer HMS BEAGLE

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1985     64       38.28

On the first of July 1940, the Island of Jersey was occupied by German troops and became, along with the other Channel Islands, the only British soil to be occupied during the Second World War. On the 9th of May 1945, a British force liberated the island and the German Commanding Officer was taken aboard the H.M.S. Beagle where he signed terms of surrender. The reverse design of this crown depicts the destroyer H.M.S. Beagle. The edge of the coin bears an incuse inscription recalling Winston Churchill's words "Our dear Channel Islands will also be freed today."

Things to note:

There were 15,000 circulation coins, 2,500 silver proofs, and 40 gold proofs minted authorized by Work Order 270 Amendment 6.
An additional 5,000 circulation coins were authorized by Work Order 280.
The Royal Mint document MINT-35-CRV-Z.pdf concerns the design and the mintages.

Some Initial Designs	A Letter by Ian Monins, States Coinage Advisor, with Several Ideas

Some Initial Designs

A Letter by Ian Monins, States Coinage Advisor, to John Kelly of the Royal Mint

XIII Commonwealth Games Edinburgh (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1986     67       38.28

Some Initial Designs

The XIII Commonwealth games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland from July 24 through August 2, 1986. This was known as "The Boycott Games." Thirty-two nations elected not to attend, boycotting the Games because of "apartheid in sports." The nations who boycotted were Antigua, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cyprus, Dominica, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Grenada, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Montserrat, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts, St Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Twenty six countries sent 1,662 athletes and 461 officials. These countries were Botswana, Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland, Australia, Falkland Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, England, Fiji, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Jersey, Maldives, Malta, New Zealand, Norfolk Islands, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, Wales, Western Samoa, and Vanuatu.

Things to note:

The reverse of this coin was designed by Norman Sillman.
There were 5000 normal circulation, 5118 50% silver uncirculated, and 2900 sterling silver proof coins minted.
For the silver proof coins, the Royal Mint sold only 1517. With Jersey's order of 400, the total number of proof coins surviving is 1917.
For the silver uncirculated coins, the Royal Mint sold 930 coins. With Jersey's order of 118, the total number of uncirculated silver coins surviving is 1330.
The Royal Mint document MINT-35-CRS-Z.pdf concerns the design and the mintages.
The collection of 12 coins did not generate much interest by the public and sales were way off target.

World Wildlife Fund Mauritius Pink Pigeon
(click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1987     70       38.61

The Pink Pigeon (Nesoerias mayeri) is a native of the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It is one of the rarest birds in the world with a population of only 15 in the wild. Without help from the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust (JWPT) it would soon have been totally extinct. The JWPT was established in 1963 by the eminent zoologist and author Gerald Durrell. It is devoted to the concept of captive breeding of endangered species as an aid to their survival in the wild. In 1984 Gerald Durrell released the first 11 of 150 captive bred Pink Pigeons into the Pamplemousse Botanical Gardens in Mauritius as the first step of a major re-introduction programme to save the species. The Pink Pigeon is named for its beautiful coloring. It has a light pink head, neck and under parts with a darker pink back and wings and a bright chestnut colored tail.

For more information see the Royal Mint documents:

Birmingham Mint Pressings Limited was subcontracted by the Royal Mint to produce 20,100 silver proofs (via Work Order 541, Amendment 27 dated December 3, 1992).
The Birmingham mint also produced 22,500 cupro-nickel coins (via Work Order 594, Amendment 2 dated February 2, 1987). Of these 20,000 went to Jersey and the remaining coins went to Spinks as part of the World Wildlife Fund 25th Anniversary Coin Programme.
See the Royal Mint document MINT-35-CRX-Z.pdf concerning the design and the mintages.

Royal Visit (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1989     76       38.28

Some Initial Designs

This Two Pounds Coin was struck to commemorate the visit to the Bailiwick by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh on the 25th of May, 1989. The reverse has the Royal Mace of the Bailiwick of Jersey super imposed on map of the island. The Royal Mace of the Bailiff of Jersey, borne before the Bailiff at the sittings of the Royal Court and of the Assembly of the States of Jersey, was presented by King Charles II to Jersey on the 29th November 1663 in gratitude for the hospitality which he received from the Island on two occasions during his exile. The mace consists of eleven pieces, made of silver gilt, is 4 ft. 9 ½ inches long, weighs 237 ounces (14 lbs. 13 ozs.) and bears no hallmarks. Engraved on the foot knop is a Latin inscription, which translated reads-
"Not all doth he deem worthy of such a reward Charles II, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, as a proof of his royal affection towards the Isle of Jersey (in which be has been twice received in safety when he was excluded from the remainder of his dominions) has willed that this Royal Mace should be consecrated to posterity and has ordered that hereafter it shall be carried before the Bailiffs, in perpetual remembrance of their fidelity not only to his august father Charles I but to His Majesty during the fury of the civil wars, when the Island was maintained by the il1ustrious Philip and George de Carteret, Knights, Bailiffs and Governors of the said Island."

Things to note:

The reverse of the coin is designed by Robert Elderton.
The edge of the coin bears an incuse inscription which reads "25 MAY 1989".
The 1972 Fifty Pence 25th Wedding Anniversary is very similar to this piece.
The maximum mintage for the silver proof coins was 3,000.
10,000 circulation and 2645 silver proof coins were minted via Work Order 980 Amendment 9.
With the Royal Mint selling only 1866 pieces and Jersey's order of 545, the total number of proof coins surviving is 2401.
See the Royal Mint document MINT-36-CGS-Z.pdf for design and mintage information.

50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1990     77       38.61

Fifty years ago, the skies over southern England became the fighting arena for those British airmen whom Churchill dubbed "The Few." At a crucial stage of the war, they answered the challenge to contest the mastery of the air. Their victory was shadowed by tragic losses. One in three never returned.

The reverse, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, depicts a Spitfire over the outline of the British Isles.

Things to note:

There were no circulation coins minted.
The maximum mintage allowed was for 10,000 silver proofs.
With the Royal Mint selling only 1868 pieces and Jersey's order of 250, the total number of proof coins surviving is 2118.
See the Royal Mint document MINT-36-CGV-Z.pdf for design and mintage information.

The Initial Design

	Note that the squadron code on the initial design is EL and on the coin itself is for No. 54 Squadron RAF (KL Sep 1939 - Jun 1942).

The Initial Design

Note that the squadron code on the initial design is EL and
on the coin itself is for No. 54 Squadron RAF (KL Sep 1939 - Jun 1942).

90th Birthday of Queen Mother
	(click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1990     83       38.61

The reverse of this coin features an exquisite engraving of two of Jersey's most beautiful flowers, the Jersey Pink, Dianthus gallicus, and Jersey Fern, Anogramma leptophylla, linked by Her Majesty's personal cypher, E for Elizabeth. The obverse carries Raphael Maklouf's renowned engraving of the Queen.

Things to note:

The reverse of the coin is designed by Leslie Durbin.
The maximum mintage allowed was for 3,000 silver and 90 gold proof coins.
10,000 circulation coins were minted via Work Order 187.
An additional 90 gold and 1400 silver proofs were minted.
All of the coins were minted at Birmingham Mint Pressings Limited.
With the Royal Mint selling only 786 pieces and Jersey's order of 400, the total number of proof coins surviving is 1186.
For more information about the initial coin order see the Royal Mint document MINT-36-CGT-Z.pdf.
For more information about the final royalty statement see the Royal Mint document MINT-36-CGV-Z.pdf.

40th Anniversary of the Coronation (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1993     89       38.6

The reverse of this exquisite coin, modeled in the Royal Mint Engraving Department, depicts familiar items of Royal regalia. St. Edward's crown - used in the coronation of almost all British Sovereigns since the coronation of Charles II in 1661 - is superimposed on a ceremonial Mace which is chased and ornamented with emblems of the United Kingdom. Above this is the Coat of Arms of Jersey.

Things to note about this series:

The reverse of the coin is designed by Leslie Durbin.
There was a limit of 10,000 silver proof and 12,000 copper-nickel coins minted.

50th Anniversary of Liberation (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1995     92       38.6

The Channel Island of Jersey marked the 50th anniversary of its liberation with five coins. The reverse of this particular coin was designed by the Royal Mint engraver Robert Elderton to celebrate the end of German occupation. The other four coins were issued in gold.

Things to note about this series¹:

There were 41,554 copper-nickel coins minted.
There were 7,000 silver proof coins minted.
There were 1,000 peidfort silver proof coins minted.

Queen's 70th Birthday (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1996     97       38.6

To honor the Queen's seventieth birthday, the States of Jersey issued a commemorative two-pound coin. The reverse design by Norman Sillman shows a delightful birthday bouquet of Jersey lilies, an autumn flowering plant that, with its pink, funnel shaped blooms, is indigenous to the island of Jersey.

Compare this coin to the 1972 25th Wedding Anniversary One pound coin. Things to note about this series:

For the copper-nickel coins, the issue limit was 4,000.
For the silver proof coins, the issue limit was 8,000.

Two Pounds Fifty Pence

25th Wedding Anniversary (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1972     38       40.10

The fourth and last silver coin in the Silver Wedding 1972 commemorative series. Pictured is a Lobster, (Homarus Vulcaris). The lobster is found along the rocky coast and in the seas around Jersey. It is a principal quarry of the local fisherman, who has a large export trade. A Jersey law of 1938 (Loi sur la Pêche et la Vente de Poisson) prescribes the minimum size of lobster which can be taken.

Five Pounds

50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1990     78       65.00

This huge coin weighs 4.6215 oz. of .999 fine silver and has a similar design as the corresponding two pounds coin.
Things to note:

The reverse was designed by Ian Rank-Broadley.
The maximum mintage allowed was for 5,000 silver proofs.
With the Royal Mint selling only 902 pieces and Jersey's order of 110, the total number of proof coins surviving is 1012.
Unlike the previous silver proof coins, these were the first to made of .999 silver.
See the Royal Mint document MINT-36-CGV-Z.pdf for design and mintage information.

50th Wedding Anniversary (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        1997    100       38.6

In celebration of the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip, the British Royal Mint offered an international collection of sterling silver coins struck in proof quality. The coins featured attractive reverse designs by some of the most eminent numismatic artist of today, including Leslie Durbin, Philip Nathan, John Savage, and Barry Stanton (the designer of the coin for Jersey). Among the events captured are the royal engagement, the wedding ceremony, the Coronation and many overseas visits, together with the couple's mutual love of equestrian sports.

Countries represented in the collection ranged from Alderney to Zambia. With the exception of the United Kingdom coin, all coins carried an exquisite 22-karat gold-plated cameo. This was the first time that the Royal Mint has struck coins featuring this new minting process.

Things to note:

The maximum mintage allowed was for 30,000 silver proofs.

The New Millennium (click on image to enlarge)

        YEAR     KM     diameter         
        2000    109       38.6

Prominently positioned on a world globe, a golden silhouette of the island of Jersey acknowledge the imminent arrival of the new millennium with a celebratory banner highlighting the historic passage of time from 1999 to 2000. The reverse design is by Leslie Lindsay, the designer of the 1984 Isle of Man Angel gold coins.

Things to note:

The maximum mintage allowed was for 32,000 silver proofs.

The Current State of Commemoratives

At one time, a commemorative had to relate and be important to be on a nation's coinage. For example, the Royal Mint proposed a 1992 Battle of El Alamein commemorative to the States:

Ten years later, a flood of commemortives started, including this beauty:

Jersey 2009 Great Battles Commemoratie

We now have commemoratives for everything from donuts to lawnmowers.

1. Private Correspondence with the Royal Mint Museum dated February 6, 2024.

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