Jersey 50 pence 1986 - Grosnez Castle

The coin's story

In 1983, Jersey renewed its coins with a series whose reverses show monuments of the island. On the 50 pence coin, Robert Lowe engraved the gate of Grosnez Castle, a 14th-century fortress built on the island's north-western headland. Rather than a stronghold able to withstand a siege, the castle served as a refuge for the inhabitants during raids, and it was already in ruins by the 16th century. Its pointed-arch gate is its main remnant. The obverse bears Arnold Machin's portrait of Elizabeth II. In 1986, only 30,000 pieces were struck, the smallest circulation mintage of the type. After the introduction of a smaller 50 pence coin, this large 30 mm module was demonetised on 30 April 1998.