Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 10 Cents 1970-1985, KM# 17, Bermuda, Elizabeth II
  • 10 Cents 1970-1985, KM# 17, Bermuda, Elizabeth II
Description

Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. The capital city is Hamilton. Bermuda is self-governing, with its own constitution and its own government, which enacts local laws, while the United Kingdom retains responsibility for defence and foreign relations. Bermuda was originally discovered in 1503 by Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez, after whom the islands are named.

Obverse

Second crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

Engraver: Arnold Machin

BERMUDA ELIZABETH II

Reverse

Bermuda Easter lilies, date above, value below.

Lilium longiflorum, often called the Easter lily, is a plant endemic to both Taiwan and Ryukyu Islands (Japan). It is a stem rooting lily, growing up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high. It bears a number of trumpet shaped, white, fragrant, and outward facing flowers.

A variety of it, L. longiflorum var. eximium, native to the Ryukyu Islands, is taller and more vigorous. It is extensively cultivated for cut flowers. It has irregular blooming periods in nature, and this is exploited in cultivation, allowing it to be forced for flowering at particular periods, such as Easter. However, it can be induced to flower over a much wider period. This variety is sometimes called the Bermuda lily because it has been much cultivated in Bermuda.

Engraver: Michael Rizzello

1978
TEN CENTS

Edge

10 Cents

2nd portrait
KM# 17 Schön# 17
Characteristics
Material Cupronickel
Weight 2.4 g
Diameter 17.8 mm
Thickness 1.3 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Mint

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