Royalty
The First and the Last: George VI’s two Crown coins
George VI stands out as one of the most popular and interesting monarchs in British history.
After the shock abdication of his brother, he courageously led the country through World War Two and became a national hero. His story has since been famously portrayed in the Oscar winning 2010 film, The King’s Speech, and the popular TV series The Crown.
Just as interesting as his reign itself, were the coins that were issued during his 16 years on the throne. Only two Crown coins were issued, but both are extremely significant in British numismatic history and mark important changes for our coinage…
1937 Coronation Crown
It has been a tradition held by many British monarchs to issue a Crown coin in their coronation year, however, this tradition was a difficult one to maintain for George VI’s coronation in 1937.
That’s because it was decided that George VI’s Coronation would be on the same day that was planned for his brother Edward VIII before his infamous abdication. With a race against the clock to strike a coin for the Coronation, a new portrait was hurriedly prepared and quickly engraved before the ceremony.
What makes this coin so important for collectors is that it was the last ever Coronation Crown struck in Silver by The Royal Mint.
1951 Festival of Britain Crown
The only other Crown coin issued during the reign of George VI was struck in 1951 to mark the Festival of Britain. To commemorate this hugely popular event, The Royal Mint decided to issue a brand new coin.
This specially issued coin was the first ever Crown struck in cupro-nickel and was the first Crown issued to commemorate a non-royal event.
Since this coin, The Royal Mint have issued many Crowns commemorating non-royal events of national significance and in doing so have created one of the most popular numismatic collecting themes internationally. This coin marks the start of this famous collecting trend that has transformed commemorative coins in Britain and across the world.
Both of these significant coin issues are now over 65 years old and as a result are becoming increasingly difficult to acquire.
However, I would consider them key coins for any Royal or 20th century coin collection because of the popular monarch that issued them and the important moments they mark for British numismatic history.
If you’re interested…
We have a limited number of George VI Crown Pairs available for collectors. However, with such limited stock available I suggest you act now if you want to add these two extremely significant coins to your collection.
Click here for more details >>>
Happy Birthday Prince George
Today His Royal Highness, Prince George, celebrates his fifth birthday.
The British public and people from all corners of the globe have watched fascinated as young Prince George has grown from baby to boy; enamoured by photos of his first steps, his first day at nursery and when he started primary school.
To mark his fifth birthday this exclusive 24ct gold-plated five coin set has been released, which looks back on our future King’s first five years.
The first coin in the set shows the precise moment the whole world fell in love with our prince. When his beaming parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, introduced their new born son to the world outside of St Mary’s Hospital in London.
The next coin shows George during his first public engagement as part of the royal families tour of New Zealand and Australia in 2014. However, unlike his parents, his role was much more relaxed – it didn’t include ribbon cutting or speech making, instead just a simple play date.
During the same royal tour, Prince George visited Taronga Zoo in Sydney, where he was introduced to one of the zoos bilbies, a desert-dwelling marsupial, which had been named after the Prince. A moment that’s been captured on this coin.
Next up is a coin that shows a considerably older Prince George, during the Cambridge families week long Royal Tour of Canada in 2016. The hugely popular photo of Prince George shows him absolutely mesmerised by bubbles at a children’s party, which boasted a petting zoo, balloon modellers and a puppet show. However, shortly after this shot was taken, our Prince was publicly upstaged by his younger sister, Princess Charlotte, who spoke her first word in public, ‘pop’.
Finally, the coin that completes the set shows Prince George adorably practicing that all important royal wave, aged just three, at the end of his Royal tour of Canada in 2016.
This brand new coin set looks back fondly and perfectly captures the first five years of our future King’s action-packed life – and it’s sure to be extremely sought after by collectors in years to come too.
If you’re interested:
You can secure the Exclusive HRH Prince George of Cambridge’s 5th Birthday Coin set today. But when you consider the very low edition limit and high demand for commemoratives celebrating the fifth birthday of our future King, a full sell-out is expected, so don’t delay. Click here to find out more>>
Could you be hiding a small fortune in the attic?
I am sure we have all dreamt of stumbling across a dusty old stamp collection or long forgotten silver coin secretly worth a small fortune hiding somewhere in the house.
Unfortunately I am yet to stumble across my fortune in the attic, but this dream recently came true for a grandmother from Hull when she found a 1644 Oxford Crown in her late grandfather’s coin collection.
The reverse of the Silver-plated Charles I Oxford Replica coin, depicts Charles I on horseback with the City of Oxford in the background.
While clearing out her attic she found a shoebox of coins she had inherited from her grandfather decades ago. She initially offered the collection to her children, who rejected what they saw as ‘worthless junk’.
She then considered binning her collection of relics, before making the decision to have the coins valued along with a number of other family heirlooms.
That’s when she discovered that amongst her collection was the incredibly rare 1644 Charles I Oxford Silver Crown. This coin was struck for just one year and is considered by many numismatic experts to be one of the most beautiful British coins ever produced.
Struck in 1644, this crown was minted while the country was in the midst of a Civil War. The coin features a portrait of King Charles I on horseback placed against a fantastic rendition of the City of Oxford which was his headquarters during the English Civil War.
King Charles I. Monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland from March 1625 until his execution in January 1649.
It is no wonder that this coin is so highly valued. It is incredibly rare, the design is one of the most intricate ever struck on a British coin and it marks one of the most significant moments in our nation’s history – the English Civil War.
The historic coin is expected to reach in excess of £100,000 at auction and the owner plans to use the money to help her granddaughter, currently expecting her first child, to fund a house deposit.
I think it’s time for me to have another dig around in the attic!
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If you’re interested…
For those not planning on bidding in the auction for this exceptionally rare coin, we have a limited stock of just 36 Silver-plated replicas available of the beautiful 1644 Oxford Crown. Click here to find out more >>>
