Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 50 Cents 1973-1984, KM# 5, British Virgin Islands, Elizabeth II
  • 50 Cents 1973-1984, KM# 5, 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

Young bust right, date below
Engraver: Arnold Machin

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

Reverse

Depicts two Brown pelicans dividing value.

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a North American bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae. The nominate subspecies in its breeding plumage has a white head with a yellowish wash on the crown. The nape and neck are dark maroon–brown. The upper sides of the neck have white lines along the base of the gular pouch, and the lower fore neck has a pale yellowish patch. The male and female are similar, but the female is slightly smaller. The nonbreeding adult has a white head and neck. The pink skin around the eyes becomes dull and gray in the nonbreeding season. It lacks any red hue, and the pouch is strongly olivaceous ochre-tinged and the legs are olivaceous gray to blackish-gray.

The brown pelican mainly feeds on fish, but occasionally eats amphibians, crustaceans, and the eggs and nestlings of birds. It nests in colonies in secluded areas, often on islands, vegetated land among sand dunes, thickets of shrubs and trees, and mangroves.

The brown pelican is the national bird of Saint Martin, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the official state bird of Louisiana, appearing on the flag, seal, or coat of arms of each.

Engraver: Gilroy Roberts

50
GR
FM
CENTS

Edge
Characteristics
Material Cupronickel
Weight 14.25 g
Diameter 32 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Franklin Mint (FM)

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