2019-05-27 Mon

Pobjoy Mint released a new One Crown coin for Ascension Island to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the beginning of World War II. The obverse side depicts soldiers taking their guard, with symbolic representations of warships, tanks and Lancaster planes in the background. Other inscriptions include “1939. The Second World War .1945” to mark the beginning and end of World War II. The obverse side depicts an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. The coin is available in two versions Uncirculated Cupro-Nickel and Proof Sterling Silver. Both versions have a diameter of 38.60 mm and weigh 28.28 grams. The Proof Sterling Silver version has a mintage limit of 2,000 pieces, while the Cupro-Nickel version has a mintage limit of 10,000 pieces. The Sterling Silver coins come inside an acrylic capsule, which is then kept inside a red box along with a Certificate of Authenticity. The Uncirculated Cupro Nickel coins are packed in tubes.

World War II began in 1939 and went on till 1945. Over 100 million people across 30 countries were involved in the war. It was fought between two military forces called Allies and Axis. Adolf Hitler and Nazi Party joined hands with Italy and Japan to become a superpower. When he invaded Poland in 1939, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. More than 50 million people died in the war, and many of them were civilians. An airbase called “wideawake” was built on Ascension Island for patrol operations. It was named after a colony of terns called ‘wideawake’ birds because of their loud noise. The airfield was used by the US Army before crossing the Atlantic Ocean towards Europe and Africa.

Image Courtesy: Pobjoy Mint