Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 25 Cents 1973-1984, KM# 4, British Virgin Islands, Elizabeth II
  • 25 Cents 1973-1984, KM# 4, British Virgin Islands, Elizabeth II
Description

The British Virgin Islands (abbreviated BVI), officially simply the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and north-west of Anguilla. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.

The British Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, along with over 50 other smaller islands and cays. About 16 of the islands are inhabited. The capital, Road Town, is on Tortola, the largest island, which is about 20 km (12 mi) long and 5 km (3 mi) wide.

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

ELIZABETH THE SECOND··· BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
·1974·

Reverse

Depicts 2 Mangrove cuckoos on a branch, value on bottom and right.

The mangrove cuckoo (Coccyzus minor) is a species of cuckoo that is native to the Neotropics. Adults have a long tail, brown above and black-and-white below, and a black curved bill with yellow on the lower mandible. The head and upper parts are brown. There is a yellow ring around the eye. This bird is best distinguished by its black facial mask and buffy underparts. Although the scientific name is minor (meaning "small"), this species is on average the largest of North America's three Coccyzus cuckoos.

Engraver: Gilroy Roberts

FM
25
GR
CENTS

Edge
Characteristics
Material Cupronickel
Weight 7.72 g
Diameter 26 mm
Thickness 1.95 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Franklin Mint (FM)

Related coins

2nd portrait

Cupronickel, 10.76 g, ⌀ 31 mm
4th portrait, All Blacks

Silver, 31.1 g
4th portrait, Gold Britannia

Gold, 17.025 g, ⌀ 27 mm