The smallest coin of St Helena and Ascension belongs to the yellowfin tuna: Michael Hibbit drew this design for the islands’ first circulating series of 1984, and the 1997 penny repeats it unchanged.

Coins with the legend «ST.HELENA + ASCENSION» are issued in the name of both islands at once, and Hibbit built the whole range around animals and plants tied to them: a donkey with a bundle of firewood on the 2 pence, a green sea turtle on the 50 pence, a sooty tern on the pound. On the penny the tuna is accompanied by a large «1» and the words «ONE PENNY».

The obverse carries the profile of Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf, with his initials «RDM» and the date below. The island penny of 1991 was still bronze; from 1997 it was struck in copper-plated steel, and in that form the type lasted a quarter of a century, until 2022. The coins were struck by the Royal Mint.

The grade AU-UNC means the coin has barely seen circulation: at most a faint trace of wear on the highest points of the relief, with the lustre almost fully intact. For a date run of St Helena and Ascension circulation coins, this is the opening year of the steel penny.

For those who collect coins by subject, whether wildlife, architecture, famous people or sport, the VPcoins catalogue offers other themed issues too.