General Ludendorff called 8 August 1918 «the black day of the German Army»: at Amiens the Allies advanced more than 11 kilometres in a single day and took over 15,000 prisoners. This gold-plated 2014 crown from Tristan da Cunha is dedicated to that battle, the opening blow of the Hundred Days Offensive that brought the war to an end.

The reverse shows infantry, aircraft and a tank against a coloured Union Flag and a rising sun, with the dates «1914-1918» in a wreath. The legend joins two phrases of remembrance, «LEST WE FORGET - WE WILL REMEMBER THEM», above «BATTLE OF AMIENS» and the value «ONE CROWN». The obverse bears Elizabeth II with «HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II · TDC 2014».

The tank is no random detail. Nearly 600 of them went into action at Amiens, heavy Mark Vs and light Whippets alike, as the British Fourth Army, the Australian and Canadian Corps and the French First Army attacked together.

Issued in 2014 for the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, the coin belongs to Tristan da Cunha’s series of crowns on key episodes of the conflict. In such a set, Amiens stands for the final, victorious year of 1918.

Uncirculated condition: the coin never circulated, and its gilding and colour print are untouched by wear. For crowns with a coloured flag this matters most, since only intact plating keeps the intended contrast between golden relief and coloured field.

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