Obverse. Photo © Power Coin
  • 10 Dollars 2020, Niue, Elizabeth II, 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain
  • 10 Dollars 2020, Niue, Elizabeth II, 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain
  • 10 Dollars 2020, Niue, Elizabeth II, 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, 2 coin set
Description

Struck by The Royal Mint and only issued as part of a 2-coin set, in collaboration with The Czech Mint, featuring a $10 coin issued on behalf of Niue. The coin is a redesign of the 2015 Royal Mint release commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a £2 silver proof was also struck.

The Battle of Britain was a military campaign of the Second World War, when the Royal Air Force (RAF) defended the United Kingdom against the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) attacks from the end of June 1940. It is described as the first major campaign fought entirely by air forces. The British officially recognise its duration as from 10 July until 31 October 1940, which overlaps with the period of large-scale night attacks known as the Blitz, while German historians do not accept this subdivision and regard it as a campaign lasting from July 1940 to June 1941.

The Battle of Britain takes its name from a speech by Winston Churchill to the House of Commons on 18 June: "What General Weygand has called The Battle of France is over. The battle of Britain is about to begin."

Obverse

Fourth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, date above, denomination below. The mintmark (ČM) and engraver's initials below the portrait.

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: Ian Rank-Broadley

NIUE ISLAND · 2020 · ELIZABETH II
IRB CM
· 10 DOLLARS ·

Reverse

Depicts planes in a fight and the badge of № 310 Squadron RAF.

No. 310 Squadron RAF was a Czechoslovak-manned fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The squadron was formed on 10 July 1940 at RAF Duxford. It was the first RAF squadron to be raised crewed by foreign nationals, in this case, escaped Czechoslovak pilots. Initially, it had two Squadron Leaders: the British Douglas Blackwood and the Czechoslovak Alexander Hess. Hess and many of his men had served in the Czechoslovak Air Force, escaped from Czechoslovakia after it was occupied by Nazi Germany, and then joined the French Air Force and fought in the Battle of France.

Initially the squadron was equipped with Hawker Hurricane I fighters. The squadron was operational in only a month and as part of 12 Group took part in the Battle of Britain as part of the Duxford Big Wing. The squadron claimed 37½ victories in the battle.

(CZECHOSLOVAK)
310
ROYAL AIR FO
WE FIGHT TO R
THE BATTLE OF
BRITAIN

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Gold
Fineness 0.9999
Weight 7.78 g
Diameter 22 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Czech Mint (ČM)

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5th portrait, Silver Proof Coin

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5th portrait, Silver Proof Coin

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Silver, 31.21 g, ⌀ 38.61 mm
5th portrait, Gold Proof Coin

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Gold, 7.8 g, ⌀ 22 mm