Which is your favourite reverse design of Jersey's current decimal coins?

[<k>]

Which of the reverse designs do you like best? To view them, start here.

If you have visited Jersey, you might like to say something about your experiences.

[<k>]

I've gone for the 50p. I like romantic ruins.




I remember my stroll there, with butterflies and burnets fluttering over the flowers.

A relaxing walk, with fine views across the sea to nearby Alderney Sark.

I can well recommend Jersey for a short holiday.

[Alan71]

Nearby Sark, <k>.  Alderney can be seen from there but it's much more in the distance.

I think of all the pound-at-par currencies in use, Jersey has the best series of designs.  Real landmarks and accessible to anyone (well, Seymour Tower on the 5p is a bit less accessible being as it's more than a mile out to sea).

Speaking of which, my one visit to Seymour Tower in 2007 (an organised tour - very risky otherwise due to fast tides) was when it had scaffolding on.

[<k>]

Nearby Sark, <k>.  Alderney can be seen from there but it's much more in the distance.

OK, amended. I think it used to be the other way round, but then the Mandela effect kicked in. I'll have to start a poll about which island we'd prefer to be in the near distance. 

Anyway, Seymour Tower - that's the only one I didn't get to see. It's certainly a fine set. When Michael Guilfoyle was a Royal Mint trainee, so he told me some years ago, he watched with admiration as Robert Lowe produced the models, at a much lower size than he himself was able to manage at the time.

[Alan71]

On my visit to Jersey in 2002, I did try and do all six of the landmarks.  Most of them are obvious and I'd been to before, but the 10p one was a surprise.  Not sure I'd have gone there had the site not been depicted on the coins.  I stumbled on the 2p one by accident at Elizabeth Castle as I wasn't sure exactly where to find it.

I did attempt to go to Seymour Tower alone in 2002.  I didn't get far and soon turned back.  If I'd carried on, I probably wouldn't have lived to tell the tale.  I hadn't even checked the tide times.  I think it has one of the highest tidal forces in the world (or at least the British islands).  There isn't much time at all between the tide appearing and it being above your head.  By my next visit in 2007, I was more determined, but only through an organised walk.  I proudly got a 5p out to show everyone, not sure how many of them had actually realised it was on there.

The detail in the Jersey designs is amazing.  I've got the 1983 silver proof issue, and it's like looking at metallic photographs.  Jersey managed to replace perhaps the most boring set of designs on any pound-at-par decimal set (only the current UK Dent set rivals it) with one of the most interesting.

[Alan71]

Thankfully this classic series of designs is unaffected by the imminent withdrawal of the old Jersey £1, which was never included in the series.  Jersey will be stuck with new UK £1 coins flooding the island alongside their £1 note.  In practice, the Jersey £1 coin never properly circulated aside from a particularly large issue dated 1998.  It still baffles me that they kept the last design used in a long-completed shipbuilding series.  Perhaps they wanted to keep the 1983 landmark series untouched.

[<k>]

Jersey managed to replace perhaps the most boring set of designs on any pound-at-par decimal set (only the current UK Dent set rivals it) with one of the most interesting.

Boring - yes!

See:  Circulation sets with a common obverse and a common reverse.

[<k>]

I did attempt to go to Seymour Tower alone in 2002.  I didn't get far and soon turned back.  If I'd carried on, I probably wouldn't have lived to tell the tale.  I hadn't even checked the tide times.  I think it has one of the highest tidal forces in the world (or at least the British islands).  There isn't much time at all between the tide appearing and it being above your head.

And if you tell people what a dangerous hobby coin collecting is, they just laugh at you. Here's to all the drowned numismatists who died in the attempt to conquer Seymour Tower. 

[<k>]

This is my second favourite: 10p - The Dolmen at Faldouet, St. Martin.

I do believe you've chosen the least interesting of the designs, though, Alan71.

A square tower is so - square. And geometrical.

A nice round martello, such as the watch tower at Le Hocq on the penny, is much more interesting.

It's very brave of you to have all the wrong opinions. 

[Alan71]

I was going more for the remoteness of Seymour Tower than the actual design.  In many ways I think all six designs are on a par with each other.

[<k>]

I was going more for the remoteness of Seymour Tower than the actual design.

You answered the wrong question? You have failed the exam. 

In many ways I think all six designs are on a par with each other.

Wrong answer. Join the Lib Dems immediately. 

[Figleaf]

If going to Seymour tower (interesting name - Henry VIII connections?) is a personal memory of flirting with danger, it is only natural that it is your favourite. Favourites are emotional and it has little or nothing to do with shape. Just look at couples passing you in the streets

Peter

[Alan71]

It was apparently built by Sir Henry Seymour Conway in 1782.

Jersey do try and limit the occurrences of drowning.  There are a few of these around the route to the tower.  The idea is that as soon as you witness the tide starting to come in, you find one of these and climb it.  Not particularly pleasant as the sea won't be far below your feet, but you will be safe.  I believe they will come and rescue you so you wouldn't have to wait for the tide to subside.  It must be very scary though.  The temptation would be to try and make it back to the shore, but you really wouldn't have enough time.

[Figleaf]

Interesting. I wonder how they anchored the tower...

You may enjoy this lemma.

Peter

[<k>]

So, there was no winner in the poll.