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25
Mar 1501 Discovered and claimed for Portugal by João da Nova
(Ilha de Nossa Senora de Conceicão [Conception Island]).
20 May 1503 Re-discovered by Alphonse d'Albuquerque, named
Ascension.
22 Feb 1701 English Capt. William Dampier on the Roebuck lands on
island.
22 Oct 1815 Britain takes possession, designating the island the
H.M.S.
Ascension, a "stone sloop of war of the smaller class."
12 Sep 1922 Island is made a dependency of St. Helena, managed until
1964
by the Eastern Telegraph Company (renamed Cable and Wireless
24 May 1934)(effective 1 Nov 1922). |
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| Ascension
Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South
Atlantic Ocean, around 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) from the coast of Africa
and 2,250 kilometres (1,400 mi) from the coast of South America, which is
roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa. It is governed
as part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and
Tristan da Cunha, of which the main island, Saint Helena, is around 1,300
kilometres (800 mi) to the southeast. The territory also includes the
"remotest populated archipelago" on earth, the sparsely populated Tristan da
Cunha archipelago, some thirty degrees farther south and about half the way
to the Antarctic Circle. The island is named after the day of its recorded
discovery, Ascension Day,. It is about as far south of the equator as
tropical Venezuela is to its north. Historically, it has played a role as an
important safe haven and coaling station to mariners and for commercial
airliners during the days of international air travel by flying boats and
during World War II was an important naval and air station, especially
providing antisubmarine warfare bases in the Battle of the Atlantic and
throughout the war. Ascension Island was garrisoned by the British Admiralty
from 22 October 1815 to 1922. The island is the location of RAF Ascension
Island, which is a Royal Air Force station with a United States Air Force
presence, a European Space Agency rocket tracking station, and the BBC World
Service Atlantic Relay Station. The island was used extensively by the
British military during the Falklands War. Ascension Island hosts one of
five ground antennae (others are on Kwajalein Island, Diego Garcia, Colorado
Springs and Hawaii) that assist in the operation of the Global Positioning
System (GPS) navigational system. Capital:
Georgetown. |
| Ascension
Island is unusual among Britain’s Overseas Territories, in not having its
own flag. Ascension still flies the Union flag by default, which may confuse
many of our visitors, thinking they are actually in United Kingdom ! |
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Monetary standard:
Saint Helenian Pound (SHP) = 100 pence. |
| The Saint
Helena pound (also called simply "pound") is the currency of the Atlantic
islands of Saint Helena and Ascension, which are constituents of the British
overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It is
fixed at parity with the pound sterling and is subdivided into 100 pence.
Tristan da Cunha, the third part of the territory, uses Pound sterling
rather than the St Helena pound. However there are occasionally
commemorative coins minted for the island. Initially, the British Pound
Sterling circulated on Saint Helena, with the pound subdivided into 20
shillings, and each shilling into 12 pence. The first coins were first
introduced in 1821, in which copper Half Pennies were issued for Saint
Helena by the East India Trading Company and these were used for a majority
of the Company's influence in the area. Prior to February 1961, the South
African pound, which was then equal in value to sterling, was also accepted
on the island, but this stopped with the introduction of the new decimal
South African Rand, such that one rand was worth only ten shillings
sterling. In 1976, the St. Helena government began issuing new, decimal
denominated banknotes for use on the island, with the introduction of
circulation coins intended for use on St. Helena as well as Ascension
beginning in 1984 (1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 50p and 1 Pound). Beside commemorative
coins issued on St. Helena and Ascension (from 1986), circulated coins are
also reported to be produced in 1991, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2006. Prior to 1984, both Saint Helena (from 1973) and
Ascension Island (from 1978) had issued non circulating commemorative coins
separately but officially used British circulation coins. The St. Helena issued
banknotes circulated alongside British coins and banknotes. |
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Commemorative coins |
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1978 |
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KM#1a Crown (25 pence). Year:
1978. Weight:
28.69g [28.28g]. Metal:
0.925 Silver. Edge:
Reeded. Diameter:
38.50 mm.
Alignment:
Medal. Mint:
Pobjoy Mint.
Obverse: Queen Elizabeth II portrait facing
right in the center. "ELIZABETH" written on the left side
clock-wise. "THE SECOND" written on the right side clock-wise. Year
"1978" at the bottom. "PM" mint mark on the left side, below Queen
Elizabeth's neck.
Reverse:
Lion above Green Turtle in the center. "ASCENSION ISLAND" written
above it. "1953 . 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CORONATION . 1978" written
around with value "ONE CROWN" at the bottom.
Mintage:
70,000 + 25,000 Proof.
Minted Years: One year
type. Note:
This coin also exits in Copper-Nickel as KM#1 (Mintage: N/A) with
same weight and diameter. KM#2 also exists is silver but the obverse side
is of Isle of Man, making it a mule coin (Mintage: 367). |
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1984 |
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| KM#6 50 pence. Year:
ND (1984). Weight:
28.43g [28.28g]. Metal:
Copper-Nickel. Edge:
Reeded. Diameter:
38.50 mm.
Alignment:
Medal. Mint:
British Royal Mint.
Obverse: Prince Andrew portrait in the center,
facing left. "H.R.H. PRINCE ANDREW · ROYAL VISIT APRIL 1984" written
around him.
Reverse:
Queen Elizabeth II portrait facing right in the center with "QUEEN
ELIZABETH II · ASCENSION ISLAND" written around her. Value "· 50 PENCE
·"
at the bottom.
Mintage:
125,000.
Minted Years: One year
type. Note:
This coin also exits in silver as KM#6a (Mintage: 5,000) with same
weight and diameter. |
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2013 |
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| KM#26 2 Pounds. Year:
2013. Weight:
29.11g [28.47g]. Metal:
Copper-Nickel. Edge:
Reeded. Diameter:
38.60 mm.
Alignment:
Medal. Mint:
Pobjoy Mint.
Obverse:
Queen Elizabeth II portrait facing right in the center with "QUEEN
ELIZABETH · II · 2013 ASCENSION ISLAND" written around her.
Reverse:
Ascension Island coats of Arms in the center. "CRAFTING OF ASCENSION
ISLAND COAT OF ARMS" written around in upper section. Value "£2"
written at the bottom.
Mintage: N/A.
Minted Years: One year
type. Engraver:
Ian Rank-Broadley. Note:
This coin also exits in silver as KM#26a (Mintage: N/A) with same
weight and diameter. |
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2014 |
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One Crown (25 pence). Year:
2014. Weight:
28.69g [28.47g]. Metal:
Copper-Nickel. Edge:
Reeded. Diameter:
38.60 mm.
Alignment:
Medal. Mint:
Pobjoy Mint.
Obverse:
Queen Elizabeth II portrait facing right in the center with "QUEEN
ELIZABETH · II · 2014 ASCENSION ISLAND" written around her.
Reverse:
Germany signing the Armistice for the cessation of hostilities on
the Western Front at Compiègne, France shown in the center. "WE
WILL REMEMBER THEM" written around in upper section. A Poppy
flower is shown on the left side of the coin. Value "ONE CROWN"
written at the bottom.
Mintage: N/A.
Minted Years: One year
type. Engraver:
Ian Rank-Broadley. Subject:
100th Anniversary of the End of World War I. Note:
This coin exits in Cupro Nickel, Coloured Cupro Nickel, Proof
Sterling Silver and Coloured Proof Sterling Silver with same
weight and diameter. In June 1914, a Serbian nationalist
assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo. An
intensification of threats and deployment orders followed the
incident which led to the outbreak of World War I. One of the most
defining events of the 20th century, ‘The Great War’ as it is often
known, remains a shocking reminder of the horrors of warfare. By the
time World War I ended, more than 9 million soldiers had been killed
and 21 million wounded. These remarkable coins, released in
commemoration of the war, offer a fitting tribute to those who
sacrificed their lives for the freedom of others. Marking this
incredible anniversary, Pobjoy Mint’s highly collectable coins have
the title ‘We Will Remember Them’ and reflect the more poignant
stories of World War I. Each coin also features a Poppy as a symbol
of remembrance – a tradition connected with WWI. |
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| One Crown (25 pence). Year:
2014. Weight:
28.72g [28.47g]. Metal:
Copper-Nickel. Edge:
Reeded. Diameter:
38.60 mm.
Alignment:
Medal. Mint:
Pobjoy Mint.
Obverse:
Queen Elizabeth II portrait facing right in the center with "QUEEN
ELIZABETH · II · 2014 ASCENSION ISLAND" written around her.
Reverse:
The cemetery at the Somme dedicated to those who fell in ‘The War To
End All Wars’ shown in the center. "WE WILL REMEMBER THEM" written around in upper section.
A Poppy flower is shown on the right side of the coin. Value "ONE
CROWN"
written at the bottom.
Mintage: N/A.
Minted Years: One year
type. Engraver:
Ian Rank-Broadley. Subject:
100th Anniversary of the End of World War I. Note:
This coin exits in Cupro Nickel, Coloured Cupro Nickel, Proof
Sterling Silver and Coloured Proof Sterling Silver with same
weight and diameter. |
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2015 |
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| One Crown (25 pence). Year:
2015. Weight:
28.64g [28.47g]. Metal:
Copper-Nickel. Edge:
Reeded. Diameter:
38.60 mm.
Alignment:
Medal. Mint:
Pobjoy Mint.
Obverse:
Queen Elizabeth II portrait facing right in the center with "QUEEN
ELIZABETH · II · 2014 ASCENSION ISLAND" written around her.
Reverse:
Queen Elizabeth II portrait shown in the center. "HM QUEEN
ELIZABETH II" written at the top section. Sandringham House at
Norfolk, England in shown on left side of the coin. Value "ONE
CROWN"
written at the bottom.
Mintage: N/A.
Minted Years: One year
type. Engraver:
Ian Rank-Broadley. Subject:
Longest Reigning British Monarch. Note:
This coin also exits in Proof Sterling Silver with same
weight and diameter. On 09th September 2015, Her Majesty
will pass the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen
Victoria to achieve the accolade of becoming the longest ever
reigning Monarch in British History. To celebrate this major
milestone Pobjoy Mint is proud to announce the release of a series
of coins from four different Overseas Territories which commemorate
the historical event of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becoming the
Longest Reigning British Monarch. This beautiful collector's coin
itself features the 1957 portrait from the first televised Christmas
Message with the Privy Mark of Sandringham from where the message
was televised. Queen Victoria came to the throne aged 18 and died
in 1901 when she was 81. Buckingham Palace have calculated that
Queen Victoria reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes –
over 63 years. However, Queen Elizabeth II, who became Queen aged 25
in 1952, is set to enter the history books when she overtakes Queen
Victoria in September. This is not the first record however as Her
Majesty is already in the record books after becoming the longest
living monarch and, according to the Guinness World Records, the
Queen also holds the world record for most currencies featuring the
same individual. |
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Note:
Saint Helena & Ascension Island circulated
coin set of 1984 can be seen under Saint Helena. |
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Countries
/ Territories |
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Chiefa Coins |
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