World coins chat: Jersey

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The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency located in the English Channel 22 km from the French Norman coast. It has a population of 100,000.


Flag of the Bailiwick of Jersey


Location of Jersey and other Channel Islands in the English Channel


History
Jersey, together with Guernsey, Alderney and Sark form the Channel Islands which all have a history associated with the medieval Duchy of Normandy, of which it became part in 933. The Duchy of Normandy was a result of Viking invasions in Frankish territory and developed a mixed culture of its own.

The most famous Duke of Normandy was William the Conqueror, who became King of England after the Norman Conquest in 1066. In 1204 France conquered all of mainland Normandy but England managed to keep the islands. Further French attempts in 1406 and 1781 to annex the islands failed.

The Germans captured the Channel Islands during the Battle of France in summer 1940 after the British left them undefended. Because of the lack of their strategic importance, the islands were the last plaves in Euepe to be liberated by the Allies in May 1945.

Jersey is currently most known for its financial offshoring, which constitutes 40% of its GDP. It is an independent Crown dependency and therefore not a part of the UK itself, and hence neither of the EU. The languages spoken on Jersey are English anfmd local Jérrais, which is very similar to Norman dialects of French spoken on the mainland.

Currency
For centuries, Jersey used the French Livre rather than the British Pound. As the Franc replaced the Livre in 1794, the Livre remained the unit of account on the Channel Islands. Like the British Pound (Latin: Libra), the Livre was also subdivided in 20 Sous each of 12 Deniers, but had lost much more of its value than the British Pound over the centuries so that 26 Livres equalled 1 Pound by the time Sterling was made the official currency of Jersey in 1830. Smaller denomination French Livre coinage continued to be used after 1830 but became scarce and needed replacement. Therefore, unusual denominations of 1/52, 1/26 and 1/13 Shilling (half, 1 and 2 Sous) were minted for Jersey from 1841. Higher denomination regular UK coinage was used alongside.


To help the locals with converting Livre, Franc and British Pound currencies, this table was published in 1854.

From 1877 the denominations were made in line with the mainland, but no mention of Farthing or Penny but 1/48, 1/24 and 1/12 of a Shilling. After WW2 coins of 1/4 Shilling were added, which were identical in shape and size of the mainland brass Threepence.

The Jersey Pound was decimalised in 1971 and followed mainland coinage in terms of composition and size. Elizabeth II's second portrait by Arnold Machin was used until 1997, where on the mainland the third portrait had been in use since 1985. Ian Rank-Bradley's fourth portrait of the queen has featured on Jersey's coins since 1998.

The Jersey Pound coins and banknotes are used actively on the island. Jersey coins are sometimes found in the UK but shopkeepers are allowed to refuse them. They can however be exchanged for British Pounds at the bank. Unlike other small Commonwealth territories, Jersey has not gone berserk with issuing ever so many non-circulating legal tender commemoratives.

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/jersey-1.html

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