Le Hocq tower on the 2008 Jersey penny was conceived as a fortress in miniature: a magazine for twenty barrels of gunpowder at the bottom, quarters for a sergeant and twelve militiamen above, and an 18-pounder carronade on the roof.

Governor Henry Seymour Conway devised these round towers for Jersey in the late 18th century, when a French invasion was expected. Le Hocq stands in the parish of St Clement, and its silhouette with «BAILIWICK OF JERSEY ONE PENNY» passed to this type from the bronze pennies of the 1980s.

2008 is one of the largest years for the type with Elizabeth II’s fourth portrait: 4.8 million coins were struck. The obverse shows Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait with his initials «IRB» and the legend «QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND».

Grade UNC: the coin has never circulated, there is no wear, the mint lustre is intact, and only minor storage marks are possible. The year looks exactly as it left the press.

The VPcoins catalogue includes both modern commemorative issues and coins of past eras.