Gold Five Ounces 2011 Royal Wedding, Coin from Alderney - detailed information

Alderney is one of the Channel Islands (situated in the Channel between England and France), and is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey - a British Crown dependency. As such, it is not a sovereign country, but has operated as a quasi-sovereign entity since the Middle Ages. The island has issued commemorative coins since 1989, denominated in the Alderney Pound - which is a variant of the Pound Sterling and is legal tender on the islands, but not in the United Kingdom.

Apart from the British Royal Mint, the island has also authorised some private mints to issue coins under its jurisdiction, which come in a variety of sizes - including in the very large gold five ounces (5 oz gold) format, usually denominated as £500.

This coin (which is denominated as £10) pays tribute to Prince William and Catherine Middleton, who were married on April 29th of that year. This is only the second time the Royal Mint marked a Royal Wedding with a commemorative coin. The first time dates back to 1981 and celebrated Charles and Diana’s union.

This coin was issued under the jurisdiction of Alderney; the Royal Mint also released a "crown" (five pounds) for the United Kingdom celebrating the Royal Wedding.