The Pobjoy Mint is thrilled to announce the fifth coin in our new series featuring ships connected to the British Virgin Islands.
The fifth coin in the collection features Royal Navy ship HMS Nymph, a 14-gun Swan-class sloop of the British Royal Navy. The design on the coin shows an image of the ship before it sank.
HMS Nymph was commissioned in May 1778 under Commander William Denne and served in the English Channel. She came under Commander John Blankett in January 1779 and sailed for the East Indies on 8 March that year to join Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes’ East India fleet.
Her role was to protect English interests and island inhabitants from French and American privateers and her duties included protecting interests in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras and serving as an escort to East India merchant convoys.
In January 1780, she came under Commander William Stevens and she remained in the East Indies until 1782, during which time Commander John Sutton took over. HMS Nymph returned to Britain later in the year and was refitted and re-coppered at Plymouth between August and October 1782.
Commander Richard Hill then took command, and Nymph sailed for the Leeward Islands on December 5 to join Admiral Hugh Pigot and Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Hughes of the Lesser Antilles squadron. While at Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, a fire broke out on June 28, 1783. The crew abandoned ship and she burnt out and sank in Road Town’s harbor, with the loss of three men.
In February 1969, dredging in Road Town Harbor revealed the remains of the Nymph. Artifacts were removed, but no archaeological survey or site excavation was conducted.
The location of the wreck was subsequently lost for many years and remains a mystery.
The coin is available in Virenium, a metal developed by Pobjoy Mint that is light gold in color.
This stunning coin will be presented in a Pobjoy Mint presentation pouch, with a special collector’s album to house all coins in this series. The obverse of the coin features an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II produced exclusively by Pobjoy Mint.
Presentation
The Virenium $1 British Virgin Islands coin is offered in a capsule only. A special album and a presentation pop-in pack are available separately to house the coins.
Coin Specifications
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