Questions about the future of the St. Helena-Ascension coinage

[<k>]

Today I emailed John Turner, the Site Editor of Saint Helena Island Info.

Below are my questions and his answers.


1] Do the old UK round pound coins still circulate in St. Helena?

I haven't seen one for a few years.


2] Do the new UK bimetallic pound coins circulate in St. Helena?

Yes.


3] Does St. Helena intend to phase out its own round pound coins in the future?

No announcement has been made.  My best guess is that we will get new coinage featuring King Charles III and the opportunity will be taken then, but because of the expense it will probably be delayed.


4] Does St. Helena intend to issue its own circulating bimetallic pound coins in the future?

As above.


5] Does St. Helena intend to issue its own polymer banknotes in the future, or will it be sticking to paper?

Same issue.


6] Some British territories and crown dependencies are considering phasing out the 1 penny, 2 pence and even 5 pence coins, because they are worth so little these days.

It is legally necessary to issue a 1p coin.  The others ARE in use on St Helena.


Does St. Helena have any such plans?

I'm not privy to the internal thinking – I can only go by what is announced.  Nothing has been. 

[<k>]

St. Helena-Ascension, 1 pound, 2022.

I started this topic in June 2023.

The pound coin above was issued in November 2023.

The coin, however, is dated 2022.


St. Helena-Ascension has a small population.

Its coin issues are therefore not very frequent.

It may be some time before we see coins of Charles III.

[MCz]

Also 2 pence dated 2022 was released recently. You can see photos on Numista forum.

[<k>]

Also 2 pence dated 2022 was released recently. You can see photos on Numista forum.

Unlike the bimetallic pound, though, it's not a new type.

[MCz]

Unlike the bimetallic pound, though, it's not a new type.

Not a new type but this confirm the answer to your question 6. Loks that small value coins will not dissapear soon as they still produced.

[<k>]

OK, I see, but 2022 is old now. It doesn't mean that they haven't discussed losing the 1 and 2 pence coins.