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Obverse of 1969 Anguilla Gold 10 Dollars
Obverse of 1969 Anguilla Gold 10 Dollars

Obverse of 1969 Anguilla Gold 10 Dollars
Reverse of 1969 Anguilla Gold 10 Dollars

A Brief History of Anguilla

The Colonial Period
Anguilla was said to have first been discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. However, this theory is controversial, and other accounts suggest that it was discovered later by French explorers in the 16 Century. Whatever the truth in this, the island was settled in 1650 by English colonists from nearby St Kitts, who grew tobacco and corn, until they were massacred or driven out by Carib Amerindian natives 6 years later. In 1666, the French took control of the island, but ceded it to England the following year under the terms of the Treaty of Breda During the colonial period up until 1807, the settlers on Anguilla imported thousands of slaves from Africa to work on the labour-intensive sugar, indigo, cotton and tobacco plantations that were the backbone of the colony’s economy. When Britain and France went to war, the conflicts touched upon Anguilla and its people, with Anguillan settlers often taking part in invading neighbouring French Caribbean colonies or fighting of French attempts to do the same to Anguilla. When slavery was abolished in 1837, Anguilla saw an exodus as many former slaves and their former owners left the island to see better opportunities elsewhere, causing the population to crash from 10,000 to around 2,000 within the space of a few years.

The Anguillan Revolution
Since 1824, Anguilla had been administered as part of the colony of St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla. However, as the colony moved towards self-government in the 1960s, there was widespread opposition to being ruled from St Kitts, which was not helped by the Prime Minister of St Kitts, Robert Bradshaw apparently threatening to ‘turn Anguilla into a Desert’ for its opposition to his rule. The people of Anguilla wished for their island to remain as a British colony in its own right. This was however, ignored by Britain, and so in 1967, Anguillans, led by Robert Webster, rose up in rebellion. After a bloodless exchange of gunfire with the local Kittian Police, the rebels managed to ‘persuade’ the Kittian authorities to vacate the island, which they promptly did. An Anguillan raid on the Defence Headquarters on St Kitts, although unsuccessful, dissuaded the Kittian authorities from freeing up enough resources to consider retaking Anguilla. Robert Webster’s interim ‘government’ declared Anguilla an independent republic in February 1969, but the following month, Britain sent a military contingent over to restore order. This invasion took place unopposed, but the Anguillans had made their point. They did not want to be ruled by St Kitts. Following negotiations, it was agreed in 1971 that Anguilla would be allowed to separate from St Kitts and Nevis. In 1980, Anguilla was formally separated from St Kitts and Nevis, becoming a separate colony under British rule. St Kitts and Nevis became fully independent 3 years later whilst Anguilla remains under direct British rule. Economy Anguilla’s economy is based largely on tourism and banking, and has one of the highest GDP per capita incomes in the Caribbean.

Anguillan Coins
Anguilla is part of the Organisation of East Caribbean States (OECS) and uses the East Caribbean Dollar as its currency (along with the other East Caribbean States). Aluminium 1,2 and 5 cent coins are struck, in addition to cupro-nickel issues for 10 and 25 cents, as well as the $1 piece. The Queen’s head graces the obverse of all the coins, and a sailing ship is featured on the reverse

For Sale and Wanted
If you are interested in coins from Anguilla please see our product index:-
Anguillan Coins

Gold Coins
We also have gold coins from Anguilla on our taxfreegold website:-
Anguillan Gold Coins



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