Gambian pound these were minted by the Royal Mint in denominations of 1, 3 and 6 pence, 1, 2 and 4 shillings, with 8 shillings added in 1970. All coins had Queen Elizabeth II's portrait on the obverse. The 8 Shillings coin of the Gambia is the only example of this denomination ever minted. With the exception of the Hippopotamus, the reverse designs of the pre-decimal coins were reused on the Gambia's decimal coins. On October 5, 1964, new banknotes were introduced by the Gambia Currency Board in denominations of 10 shillings, 1 and 5 pounds. All notes had a sailing boat
Coins of the pound sterling (97%), the intrinsic value of pre-1992 1p and 2p coins increased with the surge in metal prices of the mid-2000s, until by 2006 the coins, would, if melted down, have been worth about 50% more than their face value. (To do this, however, would be illegal, and they would have had to be melted in huge quantities to achieve significant gain.) In subsequent years the price of copper fell considerably from these peaks. The following are commemorative issues and are seldom encountered in normal circulation due to their precious metal content. The following decimal coins have been withdrawn from circulation