Item number: A2665

Year: AD 1974

Material: Silver

Size: 31.9 x 31.9 x 2.3 mm

Weight: 14.45 g

Manufactured by: Franklin Mint, Philadelphia

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is a 50-cent silver coin issued in AD 1972 by the British Overseas Territory of the Virgin Islands, located in the Caribbean Sea.

The coin is preserved in excellent condition, with details remaining crisp and clearly discernible. The obverse features a right-facing youthful portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning British monarch at the time of issue. Encircling the portrait is a legend inscription: to the left, the monarch’s name “ELIZABETH THE SECOND,” to the right, the territorial designation “BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS,” and along the lower edge, the year of issue, “1974.”

The reverse of the coin features the brown pelican, a species native to the Caribbean region. The design depicts one pelican at rest in the foreground, while another is shown in mid-flight in the background. The denomination “50 CENTS” is inscribed on either side of the pelicans, while along the lower edge appears the mint mark “FM,” indicating that the coin was struck by the Franklin Mint, a private minting institution based in Philadelphia, United States.

In AD 1493, during his second voyage to the Americas, Christopher Columbus discovered the territory and named it the “Virgin Islands” in honour of the Christian saint, Saint Ursula. The earliest inhabitants of what is now known as the British Virgin Islands were indigenous peoples native to the Caribbean. However, because of European colonisation, warfare, and the introduction of Old-World diseases, the region’s original population was gradually supplanted by African slaves brought by European settlers.

In AD 1672, the British progressively gained control of the islands, outcompeting other European colonial powers. In AD 1917, the United States purchased three of the islands from Denmark, and from that point, the territories have been divided between the “British Virgin Islands” and the “United States Virgin Islands.” Today, the British Virgin Islands are internationally recognised as a major offshore financial centre and tax haven, with numerous multinational corporations, including Coca-Cola, registering their operations there.

物件編號: A2665

年代: 公元 1974 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 31.9 x 31.9 x 2.3 mm

重量: 14.45 g

製造地: 富蘭克林鑄幣廠，費城

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚公元1972年，位於加勒比海的英國屬地維京群島發行之面額50分銀幣。

錢幣保存狀況十分良好，細節清晰可見。錢幣正面是時任英國統治者的伊莉莎白二世少女時期的右側肖像。肖像周圍鐫刻環形銘文，左側是女王名諱「ELIZABETH THE SECOND」(伊莉莎白二世)，右側是地名「BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS」(英屬維京群島)，下緣則是發行年份「1974」。

錢幣背面以分布在加勒比海周遭的褐鵜鶘為主角，其中一隻呈現歇息的狀態，較後方的褐鵜鶘則是呈現展翅飛翔的狀態。褐鵜鶘的左右兩側標示面額「50 CENTS」(50 分)，下方則是委託鑄造的單位，即位於美國費城的私人鑄幣廠「富蘭克林鑄幣廠」迷你戳記「FM」。

公元1493年，哥倫布在他第二次前往美洲的旅途中發現此地，並且以天主教聖徒聖烏蘇拉命名為「維京群島」。英屬維京群島最早的居民為加勒比海當地的印第安人，隨著歐洲人帶來的戰爭和疾病衝擊，當地的人口組成逐漸被歐洲人帶來的非洲黑奴所取代。公元1672年，英國人逐步從其他的歐洲競爭者手中控制維京群島。公元1917年，美國向丹麥購買群島中的其中三座島嶼。此後英美兩國分別以「英屬維京群島」和「美屬維京群島」稱呼自己的控制區。至今英屬維京群島是世界著名的避稅天堂之一，諸如可口可樂等知名大企業皆設籍於此。