Which Guernsey decimal coins have been issued for circulation?

[Alan71]

I'm after a definitive list of which coins, 1968 to date, have been issued for circulation.

I have these in my collection:

1/2p - 71

1p - 71, 77, 79, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90, 94, 97, 98, 03, 06, 12

2p - 71, 77, 79, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 96, 99, 03, 06, 11, 12

5p - 68, 71, 77, 79, 82, 85, 86, 87, 88.  Small: 90, 92, 99, 03, 06, 10, 12

10p - 68, 70, 77, 79, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90.  Small:  92, 03, 06, 12

20p - 82, 83, 85, 90, 92, 99, 03, 06, 09, 12

50p - 69, 70, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90.  Small: 97, 03, 06, 08, 12

£1 - 81, 83, 85, 90, 97, 01, 03, 06, 12

£2 - 98, 03, 06, 12

Proof Sets:
1971 (6: 50p to 1/2p - 50p, 10p and 5p not issued to circulation)
1979 (6: 50p to 1/2p - 50p and 1/2p not issued to circulation)
1981 (6: £1 to 1p - 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p not issued to circulation)

Both Proof Sets and Brilliant Uncirculated Sets:
1985 (7: £1 to 1p)
1986 (ditto)
1987 (ditto)
1988 (ditto)
1989 (ditto)
1990 (8: £1 to 1p inc large and small 5p)
1992 (7: £1 to 1p - no large 10p)
1997 (9: £2 to 1p inc large and small 50p)
For 1997, only the 1p, small 50p and £1 were apparently issued to circulation.

Steven Gibbs' archived website gives some clues but has some errors.  See http://web.archive.org/web/20110926210950/http://www.guernsey.net/~sgibbs/numismatics/gu_coins.html

It's the years 1985 to 1990 inclusive and 1992 that I'm not sure about due to the sets that were issued. 

Can anyone help?

[andyg]

Sorry for a slow reply...

Circulation coins -
E&OE
2p +85 (60,000) -87 (5,000)
5p -71 (10,000 proof only) +97 (*?)
10p -90 (3,500)
20p +86 (10,000*) +89 (93,000)  +97 (*?)
50p -87 (5,000) -88 (6,000) +92 (65,000)
£1 +86 (10,000*) -90 (3,500) -97 (?)

1986 set mintage recorded as 5,000
1997 set mintage not known - my 5p and 20p look circulated.

[Alan71]

Thanks Andy for that info, much appreciated.  Just to confirm, the ones you show with plus signs are ones not in my collection (other than in sets) that definitely did circulate, whilst the ones with minus signs didn't circulate but are in my collection.  Those are most likely from broken-up sets (I bought them as I have them now, I didn't break sets up).  The 1990 ones are definitely from a broken-up set, as is the 1971 5p (which is indeed a proof - I meant to remove it from my list before I posted it).

Did the 1997 5p and 20p definitely circulate then?  I've never seen any on eBay, but if yours look circulated then I guess they must have done.  And the 1992 50p?  Again never seen any, but it's quite a high mintage to be rare.

The 1997 £1 did circulate though (or rather, it was issued separately from sets).  I got one from Guernsey States Treasury once.

Just this week I got a 1988 50p off eBay which does look circulated, but again could have been broken up from a set long ago.

[andyg]

Thanks Andy for that info, much appreciated.  Just to confirm, the ones you show with plus signs are ones not in my collection (other than in sets) that definitely did circulate, whilst the ones with minus signs didn't circulate but are in my collection.  Those are most likely from broken-up sets (I bought them as I have them now, I didn't break sets up).  The 1990 ones are definitely from a broken-up set, as is the 1971 5p (which is indeed a proof - I meant to remove it from my list before I posted it).

Did the 1997 5p and 20p definitely circulate then?  I've never seen any on eBay, but if yours look circulated then I guess they must have done.  And the 1992 50p?  Again never seen any, but it's quite a high mintage to be rare.

Just this week I got a 1988 50p off eBay which does look circulated, but again could have been broken up from a set long ago.

My 1997 pair could conceivably be from a mint set at some point in the past.
The 1992 50p definitely not - although it's UNC the finish isn't right for a set coin.

Where next - Jersey and Guernsey done - Gibraltar? 

[Alan71]

Steven Gibbs' site does state that only the 1p, small 50p and £1 dated 1997 did circulate, but not sure what his source was for that, or how accurate it is.

http://web.archive.org/web/20111003201139/http://www.guernsey.net/~sgibbs/numismatics/1997set.html

[malj1]

A.L.T. McCammon says in his supplement:

1p 1979 2,400,000

50p 1979 proof, no currency issue.

£1 1979 not listed.

[Alan71]

There was no £1 coin dated 1979...

The 1988 50p I got off eBay arrived today.  I would dispute Andyg's claim that this coin did not circulate.  It certainly doesn't look like it was from a broken set.  I could easily believe it did circulate for ten years.  And as I write, there is a similar one on eBay.

Perhaps we'll never know for certain what circulated and what didn't.

[andyg]

The 1988 50p I got off eBay arrived today.  I would dispute Andyg's claim that this coin did not circulate.  It certainly doesn't look like it was from a broken set.  I could easily believe it did circulate for ten years.  And as I write, there is a similar one on eBay.

With that one - there are reportedly 6000 out there including the 5000 for the sets that were made. Maybe the remaining 1000 were issued for circulation - seems a bit titchy though to me. It is not unfeasible (as with the Jersey £2 1997) that some sets didn't sell and were later dumped into circulation......

[Alan71]

Thanks Andy.  Starting to think it's conceivable that any coin issued in a set, 1985-90, 1992 and 1997 could also have circulated!