Hi. I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the Numista catalogue section.
I've got some coins from the Nightingale Islands. However, when trying to add them to my collection here I realise some coins are listed under Tristan da Cunha and others as exonumia; i.e.
My understanding is that the coins had/have monetary value and were issued by TdC on behalf of the Nightingale Islands and they carry the Nightingale Island name. See
Should they therefore not be listed under the Nightingale Islands? Whatever the correct answer is I would have thought that the catalogue should be consistent and thus we shouldn't have some listed as exonumia, some as TdC ....
All of them should probably be listed as exonumia, if listed at all.
I'm afraid your understanding about these pieces having any monetary value is incorrect. Nightingale Islands are uninhabited by human beings, and seabirds living there don't use money in their interaction with each other or with other species.
Therefore what you called coins are not coins at all (not even tokens) since nobody even hypothetically can or could ever pay with them for any goods or services. Their only purpose is to swindle you out of your real money, and I see that somebody has succeeded in that.
I collect coins and tokens which circulated in Africa from 18th century to 2000. I sell about 7000 illustrated world coins from http://www.avscoins.com.
I understand that the islands are permanently inhabited. However, that doesn't stop the coins having monetary value. The coins were issued by TDC who can recognise their monetary value.
They are administered as part of the UK Overseas Territory. As land there is a system of Governance even if uninhabited. I think the phrase that TDC issued the coins on behalf of the islands reflects governance.
My understanding is that Tristan da Cunha does not have its own currency, but uses the UK pound (notes and coins).
I don't think they should be listed as exonumia, unless all of the commemorative coins from the Royal Canadian Mint or the New Zealand Mint for example should also be considered exonumia. They are commemorative non-circulating coins issued by a government authority. In theory they are legal tender, but in practice they are not meant for circulation.
TdC uses GBP but is recognised here as it issues its own coins - although largely commemorative.
Similarly Pitcairn Island is recognised on this site but uses NZD and only one of its islands is inhabited.
I don't know the legal basis on which a Crown Territory such as TdC issues coinage using GBP but clearly there is a legal basis for it and as such I believe the Nightingale Islands coins are also legal tender. Although TdC is the most remote inhabited archipelago on Earth.
Also, perhaps most relevant is that this site recognises South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. However those islands have no permanent population.
