Unusual Jersey Coin In Golf Movie "The Greatest Game Ever Played" (2005)

The 2005 film "The Greatest Game Ever Played" is about a 1913 golf tournament where a young American player played against two British players.

At the beginning of the film, on the Isle of Jersey in 1879, some "gentlemen" visit the island to survey a golf course and one of the men throws a Jersey "penny" coin to a little boy. The little boy grows up to be one of the British golf champions.

The coin is an Isle of Jersey bronze 1/12 of a shilling (equivalent to a British penny) dated 1877.

Although the Isle of Jersey belongs to Great Britain, it has had its own currency based on the British Pound since 1834. At the time the scene was set (1879) Jersey minted coins equivalent to the British penny, halfpenny, and farthing. Jersey's coins were struck at The Royal Mint and the private Heaton Mint. All of the 1877 circulation coins were struck only at the Heaton Mint.

The coin is shown flying through the air before the boy catches it.


"Greatest Game" film Jersey "penny" 1877 obverse


"Greatest Game" film Jersey "penny" 1877 reverse

After watching the film, I had to get a real Jersey "penny" and I did:


Jersey 1/12 Shilling 1877
Bronze, 30.5 mm, 9.41 gm

Obverse: Queen Victoria facing left, VICTORIA D.G. BRITANNIAR. REGINA F.D.
Reverse: Shield with three lions, STATES OF JERSEY, ONE TWELFTH OF A SHILLING, 1877

This coin has the mintmark 'H' on the obverse as it was struck at the Heaton Mint, a private company located in Birmingham, England, and later known as the Birmingham Mint.

The film also features a US Barber half dollar dated 1900-S.