Alderney 1994 2 Pound Commemorative D-Day Coin in Presentation Folder (Issues)

Alderney 1994 2 Pound Commemorative D-Day Coin in Presentation Folder (Issues)

On June 6, 1944, the Allies commenced Operation Overlord with the invasion of five beaches in Normandy, France. The goal was to liberate France -- and, eventually, all of Western Europe -- from Nazi occupation. Despite heavy resistance, 135,000 men landed in a single day, changing the course of the war and cementing the 1944 Normandy landing as the largest seaborne invasion in history. Now known colloquially as D-Day (after the military term), the Normandy landings marked the beginning of the end for the Axis powers. Allied victory was no longer a question of if, but when.

1994 marked the fiftieth anniversary of this momentous historical moment, and many countries produced countless commemorative coins. This two-pound coin comes from Alderney, a British Crown dependency home to about two thousand people off the coast of France. To the people of Alderney, who had been evacuated to England in 1940, D-Day was the beginning of their island's liberation from German occupation. This 1994 coin, which comes in an informational presentation folder, features detailed iconography on the reverse that illustrates the D-Day invasion.

Please note, this piece is in relatively good condition but, given its age, it is beginning to deteriorate somewhat. It appears to have yellowed, and the glue holding the first page of the folder together has dried up. This means it opens more than it was intended to, and the coin can fall out (which could be easily fixed with fresh glue). The coin itself looks to be in good condition, but the plastic encasing it has suffered some minor scratches.