Comments on "The Decimal Coins of the Sterling Area"

[<k>]

Parent topic:  The Decimal Coins of the Sterling Area


The parent topic (above) gives an overview of the decimal coins of the sterling area. Please post any comments, questions or corrections here.

[<k>]

St. Helena issued its first banknotes in 1976 but no coins of its own until 1984.

The Isle of Man did not use its own coins in the 20th century until decimalisation, but it had been issuing its own official banknotes again from 1961, and it issued a fifty pence banknote prior to decimalisation. Both Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands had been using their own banknotes for decades before decimalisation, but not their own coins.

Jersey has issued a regular series of banknotes since 1963, while Guernsey re-commenced issuing its own banknotes from 1945, after the Occupation. Both only issued a "short" set of coins, with no denomination higher than the UK equivalent of threepence.

It's curious that that these territories and dependencies issued their own banknotes before their coinage. I wonder why both were not issued simultaneously?

[FosseWay]

Should you add Malta to the list of decimalisation dates for independent colonies? IIRC it was the last to change, a year after the UK itself, in 1972. It didn't, however, issue predecimal circulation coinage, though it did have banknotes, including for quite small sums (I have two different 1 shilling notes).

[<k>]

According to Wikipedia:

Pre-decimal British sterling coinage continued to circulate in Malta for nearly a year after it was withdrawn in the UK due to decimilization on 15 February 1971. Then in 1972, a new, decimal Maltese currency, the lira, was introduced, in both coin and banknote form. The lira was initially equal to the pound sterling, however this parity did not survive long after the floating of sterling on 22 June 1972.

So you are right, and I will update my list, though there may be disagreement about the name of the independent currency.

[Figleaf]

It didn't, however, issue predecimal circulation coinage.

Malta's pre-decimal history actually abounds with local coins, primarily those of the order of Malta, Sicily and Spain. From its capture by the British in 1797 to 1827 these coins dominated the circulation. The 1825 attempt to introduce British coins ultimately failed, but did produce a (UK produced) third farthing, struck for Malta and circulating there as a piece connecting UK and Maltese coins, as the third farthing was a grani. Order of Malta coins in circulation in 1825 were denominated 1 grano, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, 15 and 30 grani. Of course, the 6 grani went for a halfpenny and the 12 grani for a penny (proclamation of 3rd November 1827.)

Peter

[Prosit]

What?  is the "Sterling Area" ?

Dale

[<k>]

It's not an official term. Did you not know that the UK is not the only place to use the decimal pound? There are related coinages in the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, and St Helena and Ascension. Ireland was once part of the sterling area too and used coins of similar specifications. That is the fun of it: variations on a theme. Europe has Euroland, the UK has the sterling area. If you read through my topic you'll get the picture.

Or just Google "sterling area". But I'm rather disappointed you haven't been paying attention, Dale. 

[Prosit]

I am aware of countries that used pound sterling but never heard the sterling area.
And as for paying attention......huh? what were you saying?   

Dale

It's not an official term. Did you not know that the UK is not the only place to use the decimal pound? There are related coinages in the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, and St Helena and Ascension. Ireland was once part of the sterling area too and used coins of similar specifications. That is the fun of it: variations on a theme. Europe has Euroland, the UK has the sterling area. If you read through my topic you'll get the picture.

Or just Google "sterling area". But I'm rather disappointed you haven't been paying attention, Dale. 

[<k>]

Re-reading the topic, it occurs to me that I never explained the term sufficiently at the outset. At some point I will re-do the topic, by splitting off the majority of the posts into a separate topic, adding a new post to the original topic, then copying the contents of the split-off posts into new posts in the original topic. If that makes sense - complicated, but it's the only way I can do it and keep it looking reasonably neat. I will finish the topic first, but that may take another evening.

It's time-consuming to fit in all the comparisons that occur to me - but I've never seen anyone else do a similar topic...

[Prosit]

Is it necessary to go to all that work?  I was mostly busting your chops 
Dale

Re-reading the topic, it occurs to me that I never explained the term sufficiently at the outset. At some point I will re-do the topic, by splitting off the majority of the posts into a separate topic, adding a new post to the original topic, then copying the contents of the split-off posts into new posts in the original topic. If that makes sense - complicated, but it's the only way I can do it and keep it looking reasonably neat. I will finish the topic first, but that may take another evening.

It's time-consuming to fit in all the comparisons that occur to me - but I've never seen anyone else do a similar topic...

[<k>]

Is it necessary to go to all that work?  I was mostly busting your chops 
Dale

Well, I am a perfectionist, you know.    And I still think you have a point. Some people might even think it's a contiguous area. If anyone is reading it, I would assume interest and therefore a little knowledge, but equally someone may wonder what it is and expect to see it properly explained. And a young person of 30 or less may never have even heard the phrase.

[FosseWay]

Although it isn't an official term now, and coffeetime isn't using it as such in his thread, until 1972 there was an official sterling area. It came about at the start of WW2 to protect sterling, and at a time when many countries either used sterling or had close connections to it through the British empire. It fell apart as the countries concerned went their own ways (not least through the UK joining the EEC), the needs for controls reduced, and sterling became a less important world currency.

[translateltd]

Guernsey obverses: I always thought the motto BALLIVIE INSVLE DE GERNEREVES was Norman French rather than Latin (admittedly they're both points on the same continuum, but unless I'm reading it wrongly it seems to have moved quite a way from the point marked "Latin").

[<k>]

Guernsey obverses: I always thought the motto BALLIVIE INSVLE DE GERNEREVES was Norman French

Yes, you're right, so I'll amend that. 

[<k>]

I have updated this post to show the new obverse legend that Gibraltar introduced onto its circulation coins in 2012:

Styles and Titles



Our member andyg has provided an image that illustrates this change: