Description: Lovely 1951 Festival of Britain King George VI Crown / Five Shillings Proof Copper Nickel Coin Complete With Original Box & Certificate. Marvellous coin. In near perfect condition. Please browse all 12 sets of photographs attached for size, weight and condition as they are self explanatory. The British crown, the successor to the English crown and the Scottish dollar, came into being with the Union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland in 1707. As with the English coin, its value was five shillings. Originally it was a heavy silver coin weighing around one ounce, during the 19th and 20th centuries the crown declined from being a real means of exchange to being a coin rarely spent and minted for commemorative purposes only. In that format it has continued to be minted, even following decimalisation of the British currency in 1971. However, as the result of inflation the value of the coin was revised upwards in 1990 to five pounds. The coin's origins lay in the English silver crown, one of many silver coins that appeared in various countries from the 16th century onwards, the most famous example perhaps being the famous Spanish pieces of eight, all of which were of a similar size and weight (approx 38mm diameter and containing approx 25 grams of fine silver) and thus interchangeable in international trade. The kingdom of England also minted gold Crowns in the 16th and 17th centuries. The dies for all gold and silver coins of Queen Anne and King George I were engraved by John Croker, a migrant originally from Dresden in the Duchy of Saxony. The British crown was always a large coin, and from the 19th century it did not circulate well. However, crowns were usually struck in a new monarch's coronation year, true of each monarch since King George IV up until the present monarch in 1953, with the single exception of King George V. The Queen Victoria "Gothic" crown of 1847 (with a mintage of just 8,000 and produced to celebrate the Gothic revival) is considered by many to be the most beautiful British coin ever minted[citation needed]. The King George V "wreath" crowns struck from 1927 through 1936 (excluding 1935 when the more common "rocking horse" crown was minted to commemorate the King's Silver Jubilee) depict a wreath on the reverse of the coin and were struck in very low numbers. Generally struck late in the year and intended to be purchased as Christmas gifts, they did not circulate well, with the rarest of all dates, 1934 (mintage just 932), now fetching several thousand pounds each. The 1927 "wreath" crowns were struck as proofs only (15,030 minted). With its large size, many of the later coins were primarily commemoratives. The 1951 issue was for the Festival of Britain, and was only struck in proof condition. The 1953 crown was issued to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, while the 1960 issue (which carried the same reverse design as the previous crown in 1953) commemorated the British Exhibition in New York. The 1965 issue carried the image of Winston Churchill on the reverse, the first time a non-monarch or commoner was ever placed on a British coin, and marked his death The Royal Mint issued British Pound coins in 16 different denominations, including this British Five Shillings coin Festival of Britain Crown (1951). They are part of the predecimal and withdrawn Pound Sterling coins series. This commemorative crown coin with a value of five shillings was minted to celebrate the Festival of Britain in 1951. On the obverse side is the portrait of King George VI. The back side shows the Roman soldier Saint George, mounted on a horse, slaying the dragon. Features: Country: United Kingdom Type: Non circulating coin Year: 1951 Value :1 Crown = 5 Shillings (1/4 LSD) Composition: Copper-nickel Weight: 28.28 g Diameter: 38.61 mm Thickness: 2.9 mm Shape: Round Orientation: Medal alignment ↑↑ Issue: Commemorative, Festival of Britain, 1951 Obverse: Uncrowned portrait of King George VI left, legend around. Lettering: GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX F:D: FIVE SHILLINGS Translation: George the Sixth by the Grace of God King of all the Britains Defender of the Faith Engraver: Thomas Humphrey Paget Reverse St. George slaying the dragon right, date and engraver's initials in exergue. Lettering: 1951 B.P Engraver: Benedetto Pistrucci Edge Incuse legend in Latin Lettering: MDCCCLI CIVIUM INDUSTRIA FLORET CIVITAS MCMLI Translation: 1851 By the industry of its people the state flourishes 1951 The standard weight of these coins was 10/11 troy ounce (436.4 grains). Under the Coinage Act of 1946, the composition changed from .500 silver to .750 copper/.250 nickel but the weight remained unchanged. This coin was not included in demonetization legislation when decimalization was introduced in 1971. It has been confirmed by the Royal Mint that the coin remains legal tender, having been remonetized with a value of 25 pence.
Price: 75 GBP
Location: Salford, Greater Manchester
End Time: 2024-10-15T11:07:30.000Z
Shipping Cost: 19.8 GBP
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Item Specifics
Return postage will be paid by: Buyer
Returns Accepted: Returns Accepted
After receiving the item, your buyer should cancel the purchase within: 30 days
Denomination: Crown
Year of Issue: 1951
Era: George VI (1936-1952)
Fineness: Proof
Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
Modified Item: No
Country of Origin: Great Britain
