Jersey coins
Encyclopedia
The British Crown dependency
of Jersey
has its own currency, the Jersey pound
, which is linked to the pound sterling
. As a consequence, the government of Jersey mints its own coins. All coins feature the Queen's head on the obverse, with the following designs on the reverse:
£1 coins have a different design each year. Initially, each new coin featured one of the crests of the 12 parish
es of Jersey. These were followed by a series of coins featuring sailing ships built in the island. The motto
round the milled edge of Jersey pound coins is: Caesarea Insula ("island of Jersey" in Latin
).
, although French copper coins continued to circulate alongside British silver coins, with 26 sous equal to the shilling
. Because the sous remained the chief small-change coins, when a new copper coinage was issued for Jersey in 1841, it was based on a penny worth of a shilling, the equivalent of 2 sous. In 1841, copper , and shilling coins were introduced, followed by bronze and shilling in 1866.
In 1877 a penny of of a shilling was introduced, and the system changed to 12 pence to the shilling. Bronze , and shilling were introduced. This was the only issue of the shilling denomination. In 1957, a nickel-brass 3 pence coin was introduced carrying the denomination "one fourth of a shilling". The 1957 and 1960 issues were round, with a dodecagonal version introduced in 1964.
took place. All had the same composition and size as the corresponding British coins. The reverse of the first issue of decimal coinage bore the coat of arms of Jersey
as had previous coins. The ½ penny coin was last minted in 1981.
A square 1 pound coin was issued in circulation in 1981 to mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Jersey
. The square pound could not be accepted by vending machine
s and was not issued after 1981 although it remains in common circulation today. When the rest of the British Isles started to introduce a standardised pound coin in 1983, Jersey changed to a round coin to match. The square version although rare is still used in the islands. Neither round nor square versions of the coin are as common in Jersey as the 1 pound note.
20 pence coins were introduced in 1982 and 2 pound coins in 1998.
Crown dependency
The Crown Dependencies are British possessions of the Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea....
of Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
has its own currency, the Jersey pound
Jersey pound
The pound is the currency of Jersey. Jersey is in currency union with the United Kingdom, and the Jersey pound is not a separate currency but is an issue of banknotes and coins by the States of Jersey denominated in pound sterling, in a similar way to the banknotes issued in Scotland and Northern...
, which is linked to the pound sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
. As a consequence, the government of Jersey mints its own coins. All coins feature the Queen's head on the obverse, with the following designs on the reverse:
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| Le Hocq Le Hocq Le Hocq is an area found in the parish of St. Clement, in the south-east of Jersey, Channel Islands.Le Hocq is a Jèrriais name, and means 'the headland' or 'the cape' in English. It is in fact the area surrounding a small headland... Tower (coastal defence) |
L'Hermitage of Saint Helier Helier Saint Helier, a 6th century ascetic hermit, is patron saint of Jersey in the Channel Islands, and in particular of the town and parish of Saint Helier, the island’s capital... , St Helier |
Seymour Tower (offshore defence) |
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| Faldouet Dolmen Dolmen A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of... , St Martin Saint Martin, Jersey -Subdivisions:St. Martin is divided into vingtaines as follows:*La Vingtaine de Rozel*La Vingtaine de Faldouet*La Vingtaine de la Quéruée*La Vingtaine de l'Église*La Vingtaine du Fief de la ReineThe Écréhous are part of the parish of St... |
Lighthouse Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.... of La Corbière La Corbière La Corbière is the extreme south-western point of Jersey in St. Brelade. The name means "a place where crows gather", deriving from the word corbîn meaning crow... |
Grosnez Castle |
| £ 1.00 | £ 2.00 | £ 2.00 edge |
| Schooner Schooner A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts.... |
12 Parish Crests |
£1 coins have a different design each year. Initially, each new coin featured one of the crests of the 12 parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es of Jersey. These were followed by a series of coins featuring sailing ships built in the island. The motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
round the milled edge of Jersey pound coins is: Caesarea Insula ("island of Jersey" in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
).
History
In 1834, an Order in Council adopted the pound sterling as Jersey's sole official legal tender to replace the Jersey livreJersey livre
The livre was currency of Jersey until 1834. It consisted entirely of French coins.Until the 1720s, the currency used was the French livre, subdivided into 20 sous, each of 12 deniers. The commonest coin in circulation was the liard...
, although French copper coins continued to circulate alongside British silver coins, with 26 sous equal to the shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
. Because the sous remained the chief small-change coins, when a new copper coinage was issued for Jersey in 1841, it was based on a penny worth of a shilling, the equivalent of 2 sous. In 1841, copper , and shilling coins were introduced, followed by bronze and shilling in 1866.
In 1877 a penny of of a shilling was introduced, and the system changed to 12 pence to the shilling. Bronze , and shilling were introduced. This was the only issue of the shilling denomination. In 1957, a nickel-brass 3 pence coin was introduced carrying the denomination "one fourth of a shilling". The 1957 and 1960 issues were round, with a dodecagonal version introduced in 1964.
Decimal currency
In 1968, 5 and 10 pence coins were introduced, followed by 50 pence in 1969 and ½, 1 and 2 pence in 1971 when decimalisationDecimalisation
Decimal currency is the term used to describe any currency that is based on one basic unit of currency and a sub-unit which is a power of 10, most commonly 100....
took place. All had the same composition and size as the corresponding British coins. The reverse of the first issue of decimal coinage bore the coat of arms of Jersey
Coat of arms of Jersey
The coat of arms of Jersey is a red shield with three gold lions passant guardant . It derives from the seal granted to the island’s bailiff by Edward I in 1279. In 1907, Edward VII sanctioned the claimed usage by the island of the arms. It is very similar to the arms of Normandy, Guernsey and...
as had previous coins. The ½ penny coin was last minted in 1981.
A square 1 pound coin was issued in circulation in 1981 to mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Jersey
Battle of Jersey
The Battle of Jersey was an attempt by France to invade Jersey and remove the threat the island posed to American shipping in the American War of Independence. Jersey was used as a base for privateering by the British, and France, engaged in the war as an ally of the United States, sent an...
. The square pound could not be accepted by vending machine
Vending machine
A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine....
s and was not issued after 1981 although it remains in common circulation today. When the rest of the British Isles started to introduce a standardised pound coin in 1983, Jersey changed to a round coin to match. The square version although rare is still used in the islands. Neither round nor square versions of the coin are as common in Jersey as the 1 pound note.
20 pence coins were introduced in 1982 and 2 pound coins in 1998.