The Crown is normally the largest silver coin issued during most reigns.
Crowns have generally been struck in large enough quantities
to enable a collector to start a collection without breaking the bank.
Crown Coin Values have generally held their value to make them a good investment.
These reasons often make the Crown Coin the first choice for collectors.
General History of The Crown Coin
The name Crown comes from the French gold coronne coins issued
in the fourteenth century. The Crown first appeared as a British coin
denomination in 1544 under Henry VIII. This was a gold coin with a
value of five shillings known as the "Crown of the Rose". This coin was
the first British gold coin to be made from 22 carat gold, rather than
the previous standard of 23 carat. The first silver crown was produced
in 1551 under Edward VI, it was one of the first British coins to bear
the date in Arabic numerals. Since then the silver crown has always
been the largest regularly issued British silver coin. From 1551,
crowns were issued in both gold and silver, until the gold crown was
discontinued after 1662. The crowns issued by Charles II and the
succeeding monarchs are very popular coins, because the large size
meant that the portrait could be engraved in great detail, and they are
magnificent works of art.
Queen Victoria
There were four different crown designs issued for Queen Victoria.
Young Head 1839-47
The first design carried a portrait of the young Victoria with a
bare head, the reverse design is a large shield bearing the Royal Arms,
crowned and within a laurel wreath.
5s 1839 proof only (very rare)
5s 1844
5s 1845
5s 1847
Gothic Design 1847 and 1853
The second Victorian crown type was the Gothic design, with a large
bust of the queen wearing a crown and an ornately embroidered dress.
the reverse design is cruciform shields, with roses, thistles and
shamrocks. The inscriptions on both sides are in Gothic script, and are
unusual in being in lower case, except for the capital letter V of
Victoria.
5s 1847gl
5s 1847gp
5s 1853gl proof only, very rare
5s 1853gp proof only, very rare
gl: Gothic, edge letters
gp: Gothic, plain edge
Jubilee Design 1887-1892
As with all the silver and gold coinage, the crown was changed in
1887 to the new design for the Golden Jubilee, and features Victoria's
Jubilee portrait, more mature, facing left, wearing a small coronet and
this design continued until 1892. The reverse features Benedetto
Pistrucci's magnificent design of St, George on horseback slaying the
dragon, first used on gold sovereigns of George III in 1817.
5s 1887
5s 1888
5s 1889
5s 1890
5s 1891
5s 1892
Old or Widowed or Veiled Head 1893-1900
The final design change for Victoria was to the "Old" or "Widowed"
or "Veiled" head design in 1893, and this continued until the final
year of her reign in 1901. The design features the older veiled
portrait of Queen Victoria, crowned facing left. The reverse again
features Pistrucci's George and Dragon. The edges of the Old Head
crowns are stamped with the regnal year, starting with LVI in the first
part of 1893. There are two regnal dates per calendar year, as the
queen's accession to the throne was in June 1837.
5s 1893 LVI
5s 1893 LVII
5s 1893 LVI proof
5s 1894 LVII
5s 1894 LVIII
5s 1895 LVIII
5s 1896 LIX
5s 1896 LX
5s 1897 LX
5s 1897 LXI
5s 1898 LXI
5s 1898 LXII
5s 1899 LXII
5s 1899 LXIII
5s 1900 LXIII
5s 1900 LXIV
The letters after the date are the edge regnal year.
Edward VII
After the reign of Queen Victoria the crown was really only struck for commemorative or collector's purposes.
Edward VII issued only one, in 1902 for his Coronation.
5s 1902
5s 1902 proof
George V
Unusually, no crowns were issued in 1911, George V's Coronation year.
From 1920, the silver content of British "silver" coins was reduced
from standard or sterling (925 parts per thousand) to half silver (500
parts per thousand). This followed the massive inflation created by the
first World War, when most countries reduced their issue of silver and
gold coinage.
The crown generally known as the "Wreath" crown was issued in 1927,
when a redesign of the entire coinage was in progress. This had a crown
within a garland or wreath as its reverse design. This design was
issued for collectors, in small numbers until 1936, except for 1935.
In 1935, a specially designed crown was struck to commemorate King George V's Silver Jubilee.
First Type (Wreath)
5s 1927
5s 1928
5s 1929
5s 1930
5s 1931
5s 1932
5s 1933
5s 1934
Jubilee Type
5s 1935
5s 1935 specimen
5s 1935 proof
First Type (Wreath)
5s 1936
George VI
In 1937 a crown was struck to commemorate the Coronation of George VI.
In 1951 the first crown to be issued in cupro-nickel was issued on the
occassion of the Festival of Britain. This crown was issued in a Box
with an enclosed slip containing a description of the coin and
the event. These boxes were Maroon and less commonly, Green. This coin
was minted in proof condition, and does not exist in any other state.
Those minted at the Festival of Britain cannot be distinguished from
those minted at the Tower Mint.
Coronation Type
5s 1937
5s 1937 proof
Festival of Britain Type
5s 1951 proof
Elizabeth II
Crowns maintained their face value as five shillings until
decimalisation in 1971. The decimal issues from 1972 to 1981 inclusive,
also maintained the equivalent value of 25 new pence.
Pre-Decimal Issues
5s 1953 Coronation
5s 1960 New York Exhibition
5s 1965 Winston Churchill
25p 1972 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Wedding
25p 1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee
25p 1980 Queen Mother's 80th Birthday
25p 1981 Charles
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