Falkland Islands KM#201 5 Pence 2019 UNC—Elizabeth II—Black-browed Albatross

A 5 pence circulation coin from one of the most isolated inhabited places on Earth — which Brian from World Money Store personally traveled ten days to reach. The reverse features the Black-browed Albatross in full flight, one of the defining birds of the Falklands and the subject of a coin that quietly stands apart from the rest of the series: this is the only coin in the modern Falkland Islands circulation set struck at the Tower Mint rather than the Pobjoy Mint, giving it a subtly different obverse portrait as a result.

There is one bank branch (no ATM) and one ATM (in a gas station) in the entire (magical) country.

Obverse

• Colors: silver-toned nickel plated steel
• Crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing right — the 5th portrait, designed by Raphael David Maklouf
• Note: this is the only coin in the modern Falkland Islands circulation series produced by the Tower Mint rather than Pobjoy Mint, resulting in a different obverse than the rest of the set
• Inscriptions: ELIZABETH II FALKLAND ISLANDS / . 2019 .

Reverse

• Colors: silver-toned nickel plated steel
• Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys) in flight to the right — a medium-sized albatross, circumpolar in the Southern Ocean, which nests on the Falkland Islands in the largest colony of any albatross species on the planet
• Denomination below
• Inscriptions: FALKLAND ISLANDS / 5

Edge

• Milled

Other Characteristics

• Catalog numbers: KM#201; Numista N#195163
• Composition: Nickel plated steel
• Weight: 3.25 g
• Diameter: 18 mm
• Thickness: 1.7 mm
• Shape: Round
• Technique: Milled
• Orientation: Medal alignment ↑↑
• Issuer: Falkland Islands (British Overseas Territory)
• Mint: Tower Mint, London, United Kingdom (1976–date)
• Queen: Elizabeth II (1952–2022)
• Designer: Raphael David Maklouf (obverse)
• Type: Standard circulation
• Years: 2019–2021
• Value: 5 Pence (0.05 FKP = USD 0.07)
• Currency: Falkland Islands pound (decimalized, 1971–date)
• Official language: English
• Note on varieties: 2019 is the common date (100% frequency); 2021 is extremely scarce (1.4% frequency)

About the Falkland Islands

• Origin of name: Named after Falkland Sound, the channel between the two main islands, which was itself named after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland, a naval official who funded an early expedition in 1690
• Capital: Stanley (pop. ~2,500 — the southernmost capital city in the world)
  • Origin of name: Named after Lord Stanley, British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies in the 1840s
• Population: ~3,800 (2021 census) — fewer people than many small towns
• Area: 12,173 km² (4,700 mi²) — similar to Connecticut or Northern Ireland
• GDP per capita (PPP): ~$70,000+ — driven by fishing licenses and tourism
• Main exports: Squid and fish (fishing licenses are the primary revenue source), wool, tourism
• Borders: No land borders — surrounded by the South Atlantic Ocean; nearest mainland is Argentina (~500 km west)
• Official/spoken language: English
• Ethnicities: Falkland Islanders (“Kelpers”) of predominantly British descent; small communities of Saint Helenians and Chileans
• Memberships: British Overseas Territory; United Kingdom responsible for defense and foreign affairs

Argentina’s Dangerous National Myth

Argentina claims the islands as Islas Malvinas — but the facts don’t support the claim. Argentina never owned the Falklands. Its national myth is based on two brief periods when a handful of Spaniards/Argentines were present on the islands:

1. The British and French built forts in the 1760s, of which the French fort passed into Spanish hands from 1767 to 1811.
2. Louis Vernet, a German immigrant to Argentina, founded a settlement of 80–100 people that lasted around seven years, 1826–1833, of whom roughly two dozen were Argentine gauchos (who are, incidentally, portrayed on a 50 peso banknote).

Britain established the capital Stanley in 1845, whereas all of southernmost Argentina didn’t even have a single town until 1869, when Ushuaia was founded. Stanley grew to 2,000 people by 1900. In the 2013 referendum, 99.8% of islanders voted to remain a British Overseas Territory. Its citizens are full British citizens. Three votes were cast against.

Falkland Islands Unfiltered

The Falklands War lasted 74 days in 1982. Argentina invaded; Britain sent a task force 8,000 miles. 255 British and 649 Argentine soldiers died over islands with fewer than 2,000 residents at the time.

The islands have more penguins than people — by a factor of roughly 350 to 1. An estimated 1.2 million penguins of five species breed there.

Unexploded Argentine landmines from 1982 fenced off large sections of coastline for decades. Those beaches became accidental penguin sanctuaries, undisturbed by humans for 40 years. Most mines were finally cleared by 2020.

The Falklands economy runs largely on squid. Fishing licenses sold to foreign fleets — mostly Asian — generate more revenue than anything else. The islands have no income tax.

In the 2013 sovereignty referendum, 1,513 votes were cast in favor of remaining British. Three voted against. Argentina called the result illegitimate.

The odd one out — and why that matters

Every other coin in the modern Falkland Islands circulation series was struck at the Pobjoy Mint in Surrey. This 5 pence is the exception: it was produced by the Tower Mint in London, which is why the obverse portrait of Elizabeth II looks subtly different from the rest of the set. Collectors who assemble complete sets will notice. Most people won’t — which is exactly what makes it interesting.

The bird on the reverse is not decoration

The Black-browed Albatross nests on the Falkland Islands in the largest concentration of any albatross species on Earth — hundreds of thousands of breeding pairs on cliffs and hillsides that most humans will never see. With a wingspan of up to 2.5 meters, it is one of the great seabirds of the Southern Ocean, circumpolar in range, and deeply associated with the Falklands in the way that the bald eagle is associated with the United States. The coin gets it right: the bird in full flight, denomination below, nothing else needed.

Own this coin from the edge of the world

A 5 pence coin from a territory of 3,800 people, featuring a bird that most of the world will never see in the wild, struck by a mint that was the odd choice for this series. The 2021 date is exceptionally scarce — only 1.4% of Numista collectors who own this type have it. UNC condition: full luster, no wear.

A coin from the edge of the world, sourced from the edge of the world.