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Celebrating the crowns - the best coins of the British series


GregH

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Scotland Four Merks 1681 or 56/-

scotlands5618.jpg.618c4a863094c33390e32243226a9094.jpg

This particular piece is a 4 Merk, or for some reason when it was issued in 1681, this coin was referred to as a Dollar, even though that latter was never used in common vernacular. This coin is from the second coinage and is S-5618, or SC24M-075 in Coincraft. This particular piece is quite rare in nicer grades. The value of this coin was raised to 56/- from the old 4 Merk standard of 53/4 by proclamation in 1681.

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Here are the four additional Elizabeth II proof crowns with face values of 5 pounds (all of them in cupro-nickel) that I came across today, photographed together in a tray (obverses above reverses). Each was included in one of the annual Royal Mint proof sets (numbered as "PS__" in Spink) that I used to buy on occasion:

Cupro-Nickel Proof Crowns (Part of Annual Royal Mint Proof Sets)

1. Elizabeth II 1993 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), 40th Anniversary of the Coronation, S. 4302 (Part of PS 51). Obv. Queen’s Young laureate Head in center, surrounded by eight trumpeters on horseback; denomination FIVE POUNDS below / Rev. St. Edward’s Crown encircled by forty trumpets all within the inscription “FAITH AND TRUTH I WILL BEAR UNTO YOU” and the dates “1953-1993” (Reverse Design: Robert Elderton).

2. Elizabeth II 1996 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), 70th Birthday of Queen, S. 4303 (Part of PS 57). Obv. Crowned Portrait right (by Raphael Maklouf); denomination FIVE POUNDS below / Rev. Representation of Windsor Castle with five flag poles, two holding forked pennants with anniversary dates 1926 and 1996, the other flags are Royal Arms, the Union flag and Our Personal flag (Reverse Design: Avril Vaughan), edge “VIVAT REGINA ELIZABETHA.”

3. Elizabeth II 1997 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), Golden Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, S. 4304 (Part of PS 59). Obv. Conjoint portraits of The Queen and Prince Philip right (Obverse design: Philip Nathan) / Rev. Pair of shields, chevronwise; on left, Our Royal Arms, on right, shield of Prince Philip; above, a Royal Crown separating the dates 1947 and 1997 with the date 20 November under Crown; beneath shields, an anchor cabled, above denomination FIVE POUNDS (Rev. Design: Leslie Durbin).

4. Elizabeth II 2002 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), Golden Jubilee commemorative (1952-2002), S. 4555 (Part of PS 72). Obv. New Crowned Portrait of Queen right (by Ian Rank-Broadley); below, denomination FIVE POUNDS / Rev. Equestrian portrait of The Queen left with inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REGINA FID DEF around circumference and AMOR POPULI PRAESIDIUM REG within; in exergue, date 2002 separated by central element of Royal Arms (Reverse Design: Ian Rank-Broadley).

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Together with my other Elizabeth II crowns posted above -- four silver proof 5-pound crowns, one silver proof and three cupro-nickel 25-pence crowns, and three cupro-nickel 5 shilling pre-decimal crowns -- that totals 15 different crowns of hers, comprising 15 of the 17 crowns minted in her name during the first 50 years of her reign, i.e., 1952-2002. The only two I never bought from that period were the Queen Mother's 100th Birthday commemorative crown issued in 2000 (S. 4553), and the crown issued in 2001 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Victoria's death (depicting her with the portrait from the Penny Black postage stamp) (S. 4554). I stopped buying them after 2002, as I mentioned above, even though I imagine that there have probably been another 20 or so issued since then!

If one adds the crowns of earlier monarchs posted above that I still have or have re-acquired -- Charles II, James II, William III, George I, George III, George IV, Victoria (Young and Old Heads), Edward VII (just purchased), George V, and George VI (silver and cupro-nickel), I still have a reasonable number. Even if I do regret that I had to sell quite a few others, and wish I had at least taken photos of them.

I'm also still working on very slowly trying to rebuild my collection of British gold guineas, half-guineas, sovereigns, and half-sovereigns from the remains of what I also had to sell some years ago. I've previously posted what I currently have: one or more gold coins from every ruler back to George I, except for William IV and the very expensive George VI. Not comparable to what I once had going back to Elizabeth I, but it's something! Not to mention all the ancient coins I've managed to obtain over the last five years. If I run out of money in my retirement, I can always eat them, right? 

Edited by DonnaML
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Scotland Forever!  That's a nice one, @UkrainiiVityaz.  This one's not so pretty, but it is Scottish and it is a "crown" sort of.  This turned up on eBay as a "damaged" 8 reales - it is indeed damaged, countermarked by a Scottish business to use for payroll.  There are several firms that made these, and they are now all rather scarce:

1201308803_Scotland-McFieCMwCancellation(0).jpg.a45263849ff630fa5fb9eeaeb0176972.jpg

Scotland      4 Shillings 6 Pence

McFie, Lindsay & Co. (c. 1815-1828) 

Host Coin:  Mexico City Mint 8 reales, 1797-MoFM, KM 109. 

Countermarks:  Manville 57, p.112; KM CC58. (26.77 grams / 39 mm) eBay July 10, 2011

Countermark Obverse:  Ring countermark, 20 mm, * McFIE L[INDSAY & COY *] G[REENOCK, 4/6 in centre];

Countermark Reverse:  Ring countermark, 20 mm,  * McFIE LIN[DSAY & COY *] GREE[NOCK, 4/6 in centre]; reverse countermark cancelled with grid-pattern stamp.  

901978141_Scotland-McFieCMwCancellation(0det).jpg.1cebc8a883b8a04d73dc930da91f036e.jpg 

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20 hours ago, DonnaML said:

I stopped buying them after 2002, as I mentioned above, even though I imagine that there have probably been another 20 or so issued since then!

 

Wow, was I off! There's a list of all the five-pound crowns, with descriptions, at https://www.royalmint.com/discover/uk-coins/coin-design-and-specifications/five-pound-coin/ . If my count is correct, the Royal Mint has issued not 20 but 90 new crowns in the last 20 years! No longer are they limited to royal anniversaries/birthdays or even important events in British history. Now they issue multiple designs every year, to commemorate David Bowie and Elton John and The Who, the Year of the Rat and the Year of the Ox, "Seymour Rabbit" (whatever that is), James Bond, and, God save us, not one but two crowns in honor of "Mr. Happy – The 50th Anniversary of Mr. Men Little Miss," and "Mr Strong & Little Miss Giggles – The 50th Anniversary of Mr. Men Little Miss." Maybe someone in the UK can enlighten me, but to my ears both sound more than vaguely obscene. 

Who buys these things? Do they think they're going to be valuable someday, like all the poor souls who bought those medal sets issued by the Franklin Mint decades ago?

Of the 90, there are perhaps one or two I wouldn't be embarrassed to buy. What a comedown! 

In the meantime, I did purchase a silver proof of one of the two pre-2003 five pound crowns I missed. I'll post photos when it arrives.

 

Edited by DonnaML
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On 8/25/2022 at 12:35 AM, DonnaML said:

Does anyone know anything about the Blaschegg Collection?

image.jpeg.b62ff7df5aa36625582bf4d17f71ee82.jpeg

(I don't know yet if that spot on the obverse behind Edward's ear is just discoloration, in which case I'll leave it alone, or some sort of dirt that can be removed. My guess is the former.)

That's a great one. I had an eye on it but wasn't ready to spend that money. I'm glad you got it. From the same auction I got the 1902 half crown which isn't bad too

Q

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After finding the list of the more than 90(!) different 5-pound UK crowns that have been issued in the last 20 years or so (see the link in my previous post), I saw exactly one I liked enough to buy, to add to my small collection. It arrived yesterday. The "retro" reverse appealed to me.

Elizabeth II 2001 AR Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), 100th Anniversary of Death of Queen Victoria, 1901-2001, S. 4554. Obv. Crowned Portrait of Queen right (by Ian Rank-Broadley) / Rev. Portrait of young Queen Victoria left (based on William Wyon’s Penny Black postage stamp portrait) within stylized railway lines in the shape of a V, together with a portion of the words ONE PENNY below, and the anniversary dates of 1901 and 2001 above, all inside V; in background outside V, the iron framework of the Crystal Palace with the value 5 POUNDS in lower left field. (Reverse design: Mary Milner-Dickens). 38.61 mm., 28.28 g.

Here are the dealer's photos, with the crown in the capsule it came in. I have no issue with capsules (unlike slabs!), especially for modern proof coins, because I can take the coins out any time I want to. For example, to take better photos: I checked, and all the scratches visible on both sides are on the capsule's surface, not on the coin itself. I'll post photos of the coin outside the capsule when I have a chance to take them.

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The crown in its case, together with the inserts:

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The cardboard sleeve the case came in:

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Unless the Royal Mint starts coming up with more interesting and visually appealing themes in the future, I think I'm done buying modern 5-pound crowns!

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Some years ago, I sold my only example of the George V "Wreath Crown" type, minted from 1927-1934. I recently replaced the type by purchasing this specimen, which arrived today:

George V AR “Wreath” Crown 1931 (milled edge, .500 silver, mintage 4,056). Obv. Bare head left, BM raised on truncation (for obverse engraver Bertram Mackennal), Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX / Rev. Imperial Crown, date 19-31 above, emblematic wreath surrounding with roses, thistles and shamrocks, small K.G. to right of lowest rose (for reverse engraver Kruger Gray), denomination CR-OWN at bottom separated by rose, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, .FID. .DEF. .IND. .IMP. [Obv. & Rev. legends together = "George the Fifth by the grace of God, King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India."] 39 mm., 28.26 g.  S. 4036, ESC 371 [H.A. Seaby & P.A. Rayner, English Silver Coinage from 1649 (4th ed. 1974)]. Purchased from Sovereign Rarities Ltd., London, UK, Aug. 2022.*

image.jpeg.4d51fd8002eb0780bd807b3766765fe9.jpeg

*From dealer’s description: “The Wreath Crown design by Kruger Gray [introduced in 1927] was much admired and the type design continued in succeeding years at the request of the Bank of England who liked to stock them at Christmas time to present to good clients, hence why the mintages were always quite small for the normal currency pieces. Bertram Mackennal (later knighted) was the Australian engraver responsible for the obverse design.”

The dealer described this coin as "Dusky tone, some light surface marks, almost extremely fine," and I believe that's reasonably accurate. I think it looks quite nice. Once my Edward VII crown arrives from the August Leu Numismatik auction, I will have at least one example of each of the 23 different UK crown types from the introduction of the Victoria "Old Head" design in 1893 through the Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee crown in 2002, with the single exception of the Queen Mother's 2000 100th birthday crown -- an omission which one of our members has kindly offered to remedy! I do have a Victoria Young Head crown as well as crowns of George IV, George III, and four earlier monarchs. But I'll probably never be able to afford to buy a Gothic Crown again, and I have a strong distaste for the ridiculous-looking Jubilee Head design, so it's unlikely that I'll ever take the uninterrupted stretch of different crown types back any further.  (As far as taking it forward is concerned, I've expressed my opinion elsewhere of the 90+ different crown designs the Royal Mint has issued since 2002! But I'm sure I'll want to purchase whatever the first one issued for Charles III may be.)

When I can, I will try to photograph as many of the types together as possible. 

Edited by DonnaML
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Here are all my UK crowns -- whatever the face value -- issued between 1931 (the newly-acquired Wreath crown described in my previous post) and 2002, together in one tray. My apologies for the uneven lighting.

I usually keep my coins in trays with square compartments, but for these and other crown-sized coins, I'm using trays with round compartments (Lindner, available from paloalbums.com, and/or Lighthouse/Leuchtturm, available from ihobb.com).  The reason is that I've been keeping these coins in the kinds of capsules for which such trays are made, ranging from 38.5 to 40 mm.  (For these photos, I removed them from the capsules). This by no means suggests that I'm tempted to start sliding over to slabbing: there's a big difference between a capsule (which I can open anytime I want) and a slab. Besides, a number of these were issued in capsules in the first place, because they're proof (even though not all are silver; some are cupro-nickel), and I don't want to damage them accidentally. So I decided that I might as well keep all of them in capsules. The only other coins I keep in capsules are my gold coins, both ancient and modern. Again, many of the modern ones were initially issued in capsules.

image.jpeg.09f1b62c74bc454c1b7ce4797a4f34b7.jpeg

image.jpeg.8ab88a8a172c7b14b3156377f7f5d47e.jpeg

 Left to right, top to bottom:

 George V AR “Wreath” Crown 1931 (milled edge, .500 silver, mintage 4,056). Obv. Bare head left, BM raised on truncation (for obverse engraver Bertram Mackennal), Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX / Rev. Imperial Crown, date 19-31 above, emblematic wreath surrounding with roses, thistles and shamrocks, small K.G. to right of lowest rose (for reverse engraver Kruger Gray), denomination CR-OWN at bottom separated by rose, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, .FID. .DEF. .IND. .IMP. [Obv. & Rev. legends together = "George the Fifth by the grace of God, King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India."] 39 mm., 28.26 g.  S. 4036, ESC 371 [H.A. Seaby & P.A. Rayner, English Silver Coinage from 1649 (4th ed. 1974)]. Purchased from Sovereign Rarities Ltd., London, UK, Aug. 2022.

George V AR Crown 1935, edge XXV (incuse), S. 4048, ESC 375 (St. George & Dragon reverse, 25th anniversary Jubilee Crown) [“Rocking Horse” Crown].

George VI AR Crown 1937, S. 4078 (Coronation commemorative).

George VI Crown 1951 (Cupro-Nickel), S. 4111 (“Festival of Britain” crown).

Elizabeth II Crown 1953 (Cupro-Nickel), S. 4136 (Coronation Crown, Obv. Queen on horseback).

Elizabeth II Crown 1960 (Cupro-Nickel), Young laureate Head, S. 4143.

Elizabeth II Crown 1965 (Cupro-Nickel), Young laureate Head, S. 4144, Churchill Rev. (“Churchill Crown”).

Elizabeth II 1972  (Cupro-Nickel) Twenty-five pence (Crown), Arnold Machin Portrait, S. 4226 (Silver Wedding Commemorative, Elizabeth & Philip).

Elizabeth II 1977 (Cupro-Nickel) Twenty-five pence (Crown), Obv. Queen on Horseback, S. 4227 (Silver Jubilee Commemorative, by Arnold Machin).

Elizabeth II 1980 (Cupro-Nickel) Twenty-five pence (Crown), S. 4228 (Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday Commemorative).

Elizabeth II 1981 (Silver Proof) Twenty-five pence (Crown), S. 4229, Rev. Charles & Diana Jugate heads left (Royal Wedding Commemorative).

Elizabeth II 1990 AR Proof FDC Five pounds (Crown), Raphael Maklouf Portrait, S. 4301 (Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday Commemorative).

Elizabeth II 1993 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), 40th Anniversary of the Coronation, S. 4302 (Part of PS 51). Obv. Queen’s Young laureate Head in center, surrounded by eight trumpeters on horseback; denomination FIVE POUNDS below / Rev St. Edward’s Crown encircled by forty trumpets all within the inscription “FAITH AND TRUTH I WILL BEAR UNTO YOU” and the dates “1953-1993” (Reverse Design: Robert Elderton).

Elizabeth II 1996 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), 70th Birthday of Queen, S. 4303 (Part of PS 57). Obv. Crowned Portrait right (by Raphael Maklouf); denomination FIVE POUNDS below / Rev. Representation of Windsor Castle with five flag poles, two holding forked pennants with anniversary dates 1926 and 1996, the other flags are Royal Arms, the Union flag and Our Personal flag (Reverse Design: Avril Vaughan), edge “VIVAT REGINA ELIZABETHA.”

Elizabeth II 1997 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), Golden Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, S. 4304 (Part of PS 59). Obv. Conjoint portraits of The Queen and Prince Philip right (Obverse design: Philip Nathan) / Rev. Pair of shields, chevronwise; on left, Our Royal Arms, on right, shield of Prince Philip; above, a Royal Crown separating the dates 1947 and 1997 with the date 20 November under Crown; beneath shields, an anchor cabled, above denomination FIVE POUNDS (Rev. Design: Leslie Durbin).

Elizabeth II 1998 AR Proof FDC Five pounds (Crown), Ian Rank-Broadley Portrait, S. 4550 (Prince Charles 50th Birthday Commemorative).

Elizabeth II 1999 AR Proof FDC Five pounds (Crown), S. 4551 (Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial). Rev. Portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales right with dates “1961” and “1997” in lower right field; around, “IN MEMORY OF DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES”; below, the value “FIVE POUNDS”. (Reverse design: David Cornell.)

Elizabeth II 1999 AR Proof FDC Five pounds (Crown), S. 4552 (Millennium commemorative). Rev. Representation of a clock dial around rim with inner circle containing hands set at 12 o’clock, a map of the British Isles to left; and the words ANNO DOMINI beneath; outside circle, the dates “1999 and “2000” above and the value “FIVE POUNDS” below; edge inscription “WHAT’S PAST IS PROLOGUE.”

Elizabeth II 2001 AR Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), 100th Anniversary of Death of Queen Victoria, 1901-2001, S. 4554. Obv. Crowned Portrait of Queen right (by Ian Rank-Broadley) / Rev. Portrait of young Queen Victoria left (based on William Wyon’s Penny Black postage stamp portrait) within stylized railway lines in the shape of a V, together with a portion of the words ONE PENNY below, and the anniversary dates of 1901 and 2001 above, all inside V; in background outside V, the iron framework of the Crystal Palace with the value 5 POUNDS in lower left field. (Reverse design: Mary Milner-Dickens). 38.61 mm., 28.28 g.

Elizabeth II 2002 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), Golden Jubilee commemorative (1952-2002), S. 4555 (Part of PS 72). Obv. Crowned Portrait of Queen right (by Ian Rank-Broadley); below, denomination FIVE POUNDS / Rev. Equestrian portrait of The Queen left with inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REGINA FID DEF around circumference and AMOR POPULI PRAESIDIUM REG within; in exergue, date 2002 separated by central element of Royal Arms (Reverse Design: Ian Rank-Broadley).

 

Edited by DonnaML
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8 hours ago, DonnaML said:

Here are all my UK crowns -- whatever the face value -- issued between 1931 (the newly-acquired Wreath crown described in my previous post) and 2002, together in one tray. My apologies for the uneven lighting.

I usually keep my coins in trays with square compartments, but for these and other crown-sized coins, I'm using trays with round compartments (Lindner, available from paloalbums.com, and/or Lighthouse/Leuchtturm, available from ihobb.com).  The reason is that I've been keeping these coins in the kinds of capsules for which such trays are made, ranging from 38.5 to 40 mm.  (For these photos, I removed them from the capsules). This by no means suggests that I'm tempted to start sliding over to slabbing: there's a big difference between a capsule (which I can open anytime I want) and a slab. Besides, a number of these were issued in capsules in the first place, because they're proof (even though not all are silver; some are cupro-nickel), and I don't want to damage them accidentally. So I decided that I might as well keep all of them in capsules. The only other coins I keep in capsules are my gold coins, both ancient and modern. Again, many of the modern ones were initially issued in capsules.

image.jpeg.09f1b62c74bc454c1b7ce4797a4f34b7.jpeg

image.jpeg.8ab88a8a172c7b14b3156377f7f5d47e.jpeg

 Left to right, top to bottom:

 George V AR “Wreath” Crown 1931 (milled edge, .500 silver, mintage 4,056). Obv. Bare head left, BM raised on truncation (for obverse engraver Bertram Mackennal), Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX / Rev. Imperial Crown, date 19-31 above, emblematic wreath surrounding with roses, thistles and shamrocks, small K.G. to right of lowest rose (for reverse engraver Kruger Gray), denomination CR-OWN at bottom separated by rose, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, .FID. .DEF. .IND. .IMP. [Obv. & Rev. legends together = "George the Fifth by the grace of God, King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India."] 39 mm., 28.26 g.  S. 4036, ESC 371 [H.A. Seaby & P.A. Rayner, English Silver Coinage from 1649 (4th ed. 1974)]. Purchased from Sovereign Rarities Ltd., London, UK, Aug. 2022.

George V AR Crown 1935, edge XXV (incuse), S. 4048, ESC 375 (St. George & Dragon reverse, 25th anniversary Jubilee Crown) [“Rocking Horse” Crown].

George VI AR Crown 1937, S. 4078 (Coronation commemorative).

George VI Crown 1951 (Cupro-Nickel), S. 4111 (“Festival of Britain” crown).

Elizabeth II Crown 1953 (Cupro-Nickel), S. 4136 (Coronation Crown, Obv. Queen on horseback).

Elizabeth II Crown 1960 (Cupro-Nickel), Young laureate Head, S. 4143.

Elizabeth II Crown 1965 (Cupro-Nickel), Young laureate Head, S. 4144, Churchill Rev. (“Churchill Crown”).

Elizabeth II 1972  (Cupro-Nickel) Twenty-five pence (Crown), Arnold Machin Portrait, S. 4226 (Silver Wedding Commemorative, Elizabeth & Philip).

Elizabeth II 1977 (Cupro-Nickel) Twenty-five pence (Crown), Obv. Queen on Horseback, S. 4227 (Silver Jubilee Commemorative, by Arnold Machin).

Elizabeth II 1980 (Cupro-Nickel) Twenty-five pence (Crown), S. 4228 (Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday Commemorative).

Elizabeth II 1981 (Silver Proof) Twenty-five pence (Crown), S. 4229, Rev. Charles & Diana Jugate heads left (Royal Wedding Commemorative).

Elizabeth II 1990 AR Proof FDC Five pounds (Crown), Raphael Maklouf Portrait, S. 4301 (Queen Mother’s 90th Birthday Commemorative).

Elizabeth II 1993 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), 40th Anniversary of the Coronation, S. 4302 (Part of PS 51). Obv. Queen’s Young laureate Head in center, surrounded by eight trumpeters on horseback; denomination FIVE POUNDS below / Rev St. Edward’s Crown encircled by forty trumpets all within the inscription “FAITH AND TRUTH I WILL BEAR UNTO YOU” and the dates “1953-1993” (Reverse Design: Robert Elderton).

Elizabeth II 1996 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), 70th Birthday of Queen, S. 4303 (Part of PS 57). Obv. Crowned Portrait right (by Raphael Maklouf); denomination FIVE POUNDS below / Rev. Representation of Windsor Castle with five flag poles, two holding forked pennants with anniversary dates 1926 and 1996, the other flags are Royal Arms, the Union flag and Our Personal flag (Reverse Design: Avril Vaughan), edge “VIVAT REGINA ELIZABETHA.”

Elizabeth II 1997 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), Golden Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, S. 4304 (Part of PS 59). Obv. Conjoint portraits of The Queen and Prince Philip right (Obverse design: Philip Nathan) / Rev. Pair of shields, chevronwise; on left, Our Royal Arms, on right, shield of Prince Philip; above, a Royal Crown separating the dates 1947 and 1997 with the date 20 November under Crown; beneath shields, an anchor cabled, above denomination FIVE POUNDS (Rev. Design: Leslie Durbin).

Elizabeth II 1998 AR Proof FDC Five pounds (Crown), Ian Rank-Broadley Portrait, S. 4550 (Prince Charles 50th Birthday Commemorative).

Elizabeth II 1999 AR Proof FDC Five pounds (Crown), S. 4551 (Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial). Rev. Portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales right with dates “1961” and “1997” in lower right field; around, “IN MEMORY OF DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES”; below, the value “FIVE POUNDS”. (Reverse design: David Cornell.)

Elizabeth II 1999 AR Proof FDC Five pounds (Crown), S. 4552 (Millennium commemorative). Rev. Representation of a clock dial around rim with inner circle containing hands set at 12 o’clock, a map of the British Isles to left; and the words ANNO DOMINI beneath; outside circle, the dates “1999 and “2000” above and the value “FIVE POUNDS” below; edge inscription “WHAT’S PAST IS PROLOGUE.”

Elizabeth II 2001 AR Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), 100th Anniversary of Death of Queen Victoria, 1901-2001, S. 4554. Obv. Crowned Portrait of Queen right (by Ian Rank-Broadley) / Rev. Portrait of young Queen Victoria left (based on William Wyon’s Penny Black postage stamp portrait) within stylized railway lines in the shape of a V, together with a portion of the words ONE PENNY below, and the anniversary dates of 1901 and 2001 above, all inside V; in background outside V, the iron framework of the Crystal Palace with the value 5 POUNDS in lower left field. (Reverse design: Mary Milner-Dickens). 38.61 mm., 28.28 g.

Elizabeth II 2002 Cupro-Nickel Proof FDC Five Pounds (Crown), Golden Jubilee commemorative (1952-2002), S. 4555 (Part of PS 72). Obv. Crowned Portrait of Queen right (by Ian Rank-Broadley); below, denomination FIVE POUNDS / Rev. Equestrian portrait of The Queen left with inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA REGINA FID DEF around circumference and AMOR POPULI PRAESIDIUM REG within; in exergue, date 2002 separated by central element of Royal Arms (Reverse Design: Ian Rank-Broadley).

 

They look great like that. I remember when the Charles and Di one came out. There was such excitement, everyone was talking about it and wanted one. Not like today 🤣

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@DonnaML, your UK crown collection is remarkable - nicely done indeed.  

My own crown collection is very haphazard, random, incoherent, etc.  After the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I poked around my box full of various UK things, feeling a little sad.  In that mess, I found a 1960 New York British Exposition crown in a scratched up plastic case, which I bought on eBay years ago. 

Modern cupro-nickel crowns are not really my thing, but the plastic case is not something I'd seen very often.  I am not sure if it was an official-issue case or not.  Here it is - the case is quite scuffed up, but the coin looks proofy - I've never taken it apart.  

2052372929_UK-1960Festivalcrownwcase1.04Nov2017a.jpg.443f68d68c054a8371f615031064b073.jpg

 

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On 8/23/2022 at 4:12 PM, Marsyas Mike said:

Nice crowns, everybody.  This post inspired me to photograph one of mine...after thirty-plus years, it was probably time.  This is an 1804 Bank Dollar "token".  These were struck over Spanish-Colonial 8 reales.  The workmanship at the Soho mint was usually pretty good, so undertypes are usually mostly obliterated (unlike the 960 Reis overstrikes in Brazil, where full undertypes are often identifiable).  This one has a full date - 1799 - based on the numerals, I'm guessing Mexico or Lima mint - the Potosi mint used a more conventional (to modern eyes) numeral 9.  

image.jpeg.6e40c82f9b143cdde3504e32d3b6a326.jpeg

Here is an "enhanced" view of the undertype 8 reales:

1012295504_UK-1804BankDollar(0det3).jpg.470c9911abae39e737104a77243e446e.jpg

Great Britain Bank Dollar 1804 (Struck 1804-1811) George III Soho Mint, Birmingham GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX, laureate draped bust right / BANK OF ENGLAND FIVE  SHILLINGS DOLLAR 1804 Britannia seated left, shield, etc. KM Tn1; S-3768 (27.00 grams / 39 mm) Dealer c. 1990           

Overstrike:  Partial undertype visible.  These were struck over Spanish-American 8 reales, dated 1799 here, probably from Mexico or Lima, based on style of numeral 9's ( Potosi, used a more "modern" style 9). 

"Overstruck Spanish American 8 Real coin issued by the Bank of England with a value of 5 shillings to supplement a deficiency in British regal coinage. The coins were struck by the Soho Mint, Birmingham between 1804 and 1811 though all bear the date 1804. Initially valued at 5 shillings, they were re-valued at 5 shillings 6 pence in 1811 and were withdrawn in 1817-1818. Often found with undertype still showing which adds around 10% of the value dependent upon grade (a couple of examples below)."

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces16742.html  

 

I have a more conventional one of these, albeit with a test cut - the coinage was obviously not trusted.

George III Bank of England Dollar, 1804
image.png.39a974c70e9d18aef0afdf4d4b40aafc.png
Soho Mint, Birmingham. Silver, 22mm, 4.67g. Head 1, C.H.K. on truncation; GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX. Britannia seated with shield, in oval garter; FIVE SHILLINGS DOLLAR; BANK OF ENGLAND 1804; K in relief below shield (S 3823). Produced from 1804 to 1811 but all dated 1804. The first silver coin to feature Britannia.

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This 1668 Charles II crown isn't in wonderful condition by any means -- I imagine it would be categorized as "Fine" -- but it's still much, much nicer than the 1676 example I posted earlier in this thread. And anything noticeably better would have cost far more than I'm prepared to spend!

Charles II AR Crown, 1668, 2nd bust.  Obv. Laureate and draped bust right (smaller than 1st bust, with curving tie to wreath), CAROLUS • II • - DEI • GRATIA / Rev. Crowned cruciform shields, interlinked C’s in angles, • MAG – BR • FRA – ET • HIB – REX • 16-68 (separations in form of the crowns atop each shield) / Edge • DECVS • ET • TVTAMEN [An ornament and a safeguard] • ANNO • REGNI • VICESIMO • + . 38.5 mm., 29.5 g.  S.3357 (ill. p. 353 of 2022 ed.), ESC 36  [H.A. Seaby & P.A. Rayner, English Silver Coinage from 1649 (4th ed. 1974)]. Purchased Sep. 2022 from KB Coins, Stevenage, Herts., UK.

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Once my Edward VII crown arrives from Leu, I will try to post a photo of my pre-1932 British crowns together.

KB Coins, by the way, has a large inventory of British coins for sale. Some are quite expensive, but many are in lesser condition (like this coin), and are offered at what seem to me to be reasonable prices compared to the cost of similar coins I've seen on VCoins, MAShops, Ebay, or at auctions.

 

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The third and final arrival today from the August Leu Numismatik auction.

Edward VII AR Crown 1902 (sole year of issue). Obv. Bare head right, EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:; beneath truncation, DES [for designer of obverse, George William de Saulles] / Rev. Pistrucci’s St. George on horseback right slaying the dragon; in exergue, date 1902 / Edge  DECVS ET  TVTAMEN [An ornament and a safeguard] ⁎ ANNO REGNI II ⁎.  S. 3978, Davenport 109, ESC 361 [H.A. Seaby & P.A. Rayner, English Silver Coinage from 1649 (4th ed. 1974)]. 38 mm, 28.27 g, 12 h. Purchased from Leu Numismatik AG, Web Auction 22, 21 Aug. 2022, Lot 781; ex Collection of Dr. Max Blaschegg (1930-2021) (see https://coinsweekly.com/whoswho-sammler/blaschegg-dr-med-max-1930-2021), with collector's ticket; privately acquired by Max Blaschegg from Münzhandlung Erwin Dietrich AG, Zürich, on 15 February 1988, for price of 180 CHF.

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Sometime soon, given that I've already posted photos of my British crowns from 1931-2002 in their tray, I will photograph and post the tray holding all my pre-George V British crowns  -- going back to the 1668 Charles II crown I posted above. Unfortunately, they only fill about half the tray! I've used the rest of that tray for my handful of crown-sized coins from Commonwealth and other countries, as well as for my one "Britannia" silver bullion 1 oz. coin from 1998 (the same size as the 5-pound crown coins, but with a face value of 2 pounds).

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I have to post this new coin here , I bought it because of this thread, was very hard to resist :) Thanks!

Some years ago I decided to buy a British crown , then I liked it the most the George III 1818-1920 type  , I loved both obverse and reverse , but because of a small budged I ended to buy a 1891 crown of queen Victoria , it has the same Pistrucci's iconic portrait of St George slaying the dragon , a little wider representation  , even the coin has 1 mm more in diameter.

description from numista.com

George III , 1 Crown , silver(.925), engraver Benedetto Pistrucci , mint Royal Mint 
Obverse: Laureate portrait of King George III right, legend around, date below.
GEORGIUS III D:G: BRITANNIARUM REX F:  D :
P I S T R U C C I 1819
Translation: George the Third by the Grace of God King of the Britains Defender of the Faith
Reverse: St. George slaying the dragon right within Garter, legend around.
HONI · SOIT · QUI · MAL · Y · PENSE.  
P I S T R U C C I
Translation: Shame on he who thinks evil of it
Edge: DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI LIX
Translation: An ornament and a safeguard 59th year of reign

georgeIII.jpg

georgeIII 2.jpg

Edited by singig
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39 minutes ago, singig said:

I have to post this new coin here , I bought it because of this thread, was very hard to resist 🙂 Thanks!

Some years ago I decided to buy a British crown , then I liked it the most the George III 1818-1920 type  , I loved both obverse and reverse , but because of a small budged I ended to buy a 1891 crown of queen Victoria , it has the same Pistrucci's iconic portrait of St George slaying the dragon , a little wider representation  , even the coin has 1 mm more in diameter.

description from numista.com

George III , 1 Crown , silver(.925), engraver Benedetto Pistrucci , mint Royal Mint 
Obverse: Laureate portrait of King George III right, legend around, date below.
GEORGIUS III D:G: BRITANNIARUM REX F:  D :
P I S T R U C C I 1819
Translation: George the Third by the Grace of God King of the Britains Defender of the Faith
Reverse: St. George slaying the dragon right within Garter, legend around.
HONI · SOIT · QUI · MAL · Y · PENSE.  
P I S T R U C C I
Translation: Shame on he who thinks evil of it
Edge: DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI LIX
Translation: An ornament and a safeguard 59th year of reign

georgeIII.jpg

georgeIII 2.jpg

Nice. (Did you mean to post the Victoria obverse? It's missing.) That late George III crown type is one of my favorites from among all the British crowns.

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This silver bullion coin is not technically a British crown; its face value is 2 pounds rather than the 5 pound denomination currently used as the nominal face value for crowns issued by the Royal Mint. But it's exactly the same size as a crown, so I would argue that it belongs in a collection of crowns and "crown-sized" coins as much as any coin of that size from a country other than the UK.

Elizabeth II 1998 AR Proof Britannia bullion coin (1 oz. Silver, .958 fineness, face value 2 Pounds), in green case of issue. 40 mm., 32.45 g. Obv. Crowned bust right (4th portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley), ELIZABETH II D G – REG FID DEF around, denomination 2 POUNDS below / Rev. Britannia, helmeted, standing facing upon a rock in the sea, head left, her right hand grasping a trident and her left hand resting on a shield and holding an olive branch, her hair and gown streaming left in wind; ONE OUNCE FINE SILVER - BRITANNIA 1998; NATHAN beneath rocks (for Philip Nathan, designer of reverse). S. 4500 (ill.). Mintage 2,168. [First year of design; second year of 1 oz. silver bullion type with 2-pound face value.]

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This is the only silver "Britannia" I've ever bought. I do have a few gold Britannia bullion coins: a 1987 25-pound coin, and 10-pound coins from 1998 and 2007. I bought all of them only for what I perceived as their artistic value; not as any kind of investment.

Has anyone else bought silver or gold Britannias?

One more crown-sized coin minted in the UK that isn't actually a crown:

 

Great Britain, George V, 1930 AR Trade Dollar (Royal Mint, London), by George William de Saulles. Obv. Standing figure of Britannia, head left, holding trident in right hand and resting left hand on shield, with merchant ship in background to left, ONE – DOLLAR across fields; date1930 in exergue / Rev. Chinese characters and Jawi script in ornamental flower; lettering:

ساتو رڠڬية

Translation:

Chinese: One Dollar

Jawi: One Ringgit.

39 mm., 26.95 g. KM # T5.

image.jpeg.ef5b9c6f084734e40e7d21d6800da5f8.jpeg

Edited by DonnaML
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On 9/10/2022 at 9:20 PM, DonnaML said:

Some years ago, I sold my only example of the George V "Wreath Crown" type, minted from 1927-1934. I recently replaced the type by purchasing this specimen, which arrived today:

Nice Wreath Crown Donna.  Although I've scrounged crowns for decades, the Wreath Type never come up in the bargain bins, eBay depths, etc.  

However, your Wreath Crown did put me in mind of this one from the same "Wreath" era - a crown of George V issued for Cyprus, minted in London at the Tower Mint.  What has long puzzled me about this issue is that although the UK crowns had gone to .500 silver, Cyprus issued this one in full sterling:

736838161_Cyprus-1928Crown(0).jpg.478eeb4a779dd6c85dc9a3da34d7c416.jpg

Composition Silver (.925)
Weight 28.2759 g

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces15505.html

This 1959 Bermuda Crown was also minted to the same pre-World War I UK sterling standard - although per Numista, the Bermuda crown weighed slightly more...another mystery.  QEII, may she rest in peace.  

71481620_Bermuda-1959crown(0).jpg.2396cec0bc4de1053329ca340392e226.jpg

Composition Silver (.925)
Weight 28.28 g

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces14207.html

And since I feel safe in this space  I am going to share the results of a decade-long obsessions with 1951 Festival of Britain Crowns that some non-collectors may not understand.  For years, whenever I saw one boxed, for under $5 or so, I snapped it up.  Someday these will be worth a fortune...or not:

1521993376_UK-1951FestivalofBritain(1).JPG.6493041bf2185e5e541c0082c05049b3.JPG

There are two types of boxes - the slide-out kind is by far the most common, in my experience.  The other kind is a lift-off top-opening lid.  Here are both types; I only have one green and one red of the lift-off tops: 

1357967503_UK-1951FestivalofBritain(3).JPG.805cc5d682ff20985b004c55185055c1.JPG

Sometimes strays without boxes came my way - I remember my local dealer selling these for a buck or two from his junk bins 25 years ago.  One of these even has a groovy chain welded to it - I've never found an occasion to wear it, however: 

496234751_UK-1951FestivalofBritain(11).JPG.dfa94f6afd297ea124bd0251a7b48cee.JPG

In other scrounging news, here are two of by "best bargain" UK crowns...in my opinion.  They aren't great...but I love a bargain.  Or what I think might be a bargain. 

A few years ago, my local dealer had this in his case for $20 - an 1898 UK Trade Dollar that has been harshly cleaned, after some years circulating, with a few chopmarks:

1549133572_UKTradeDollar-1898Feb2017(0).jpg.db7703cf919767f696f493dfd81aeef7.jpg

This turned up on eBay one day back in 2006 for $22 "Buy it now."  1902 Edward crowns do not normally sell for $22, even back then.  

351011039_UK-1902Crown22BINMar2006(0).jpg.083acdbca3b9e792cc25ec70dc615361.jpg

 

 

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13 minutes ago, Marsyas Mike said:

Nice Wreath Crown Donna.  Although I've scrounged crowns for decades, the Wreath Type never come up in the bargain bins, eBay depths, etc.  

However, your Wreath Crown did put me in mind of this one from the same "Wreath" era - a crown of George V issued for Cyprus, minted in London at the Tower Mint.  What has long puzzled me about this issue is that although the UK crowns had gone to .500 silver, Cyprus issued this one in full sterling:

736838161_Cyprus-1928Crown(0).jpg.478eeb4a779dd6c85dc9a3da34d7c416.jpg

Composition Silver (.925)
Weight 28.2759 g

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces15505.html

This 1959 Bermuda Crown was also minted to the same pre-World War I UK sterling standard - although per Numista, the Bermuda crown weighed slightly more...another mystery.  QEII, may she rest in peace.  

71481620_Bermuda-1959crown(0).jpg.2396cec0bc4de1053329ca340392e226.jpg

Composition Silver (.925)
Weight 28.28 g

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces14207.html

And since I feel safe in this space  I am going to share the results of a decade-long obsessions with 1951 Festival of Britain Crowns that some non-collectors may not understand.  For years, whenever I saw one boxed, for under $5 or so, I snapped it up.  Someday these will be worth a fortune...or not:

1521993376_UK-1951FestivalofBritain(1).JPG.6493041bf2185e5e541c0082c05049b3.JPG

There are two types of boxes - the slide-out kind is by far the most common, in my experience.  The other kind is a lift-off top-opening lid.  Here are both types; I only have one green and one red of the lift-off tops: 

1357967503_UK-1951FestivalofBritain(3).JPG.805cc5d682ff20985b004c55185055c1.JPG

Sometimes strays without boxes came my way - I remember my local dealer selling these for a buck or two from his junk bins 25 years ago.  One of these even has a groovy chain welded to it - I've never found an occasion to wear it, however: 

496234751_UK-1951FestivalofBritain(11).JPG.dfa94f6afd297ea124bd0251a7b48cee.JPG

In other scrounging news, here are two of by "best bargain" UK crowns...in my opinion.  They aren't great...but I love a bargain.  Or what I think might be a bargain. 

A few years ago, my local dealer had this in his case for $20 - an 1898 UK Trade Dollar that has been harshly cleaned, after some years circulating, with a few chopmarks:

1549133572_UKTradeDollar-1898Feb2017(0).jpg.db7703cf919767f696f493dfd81aeef7.jpg

This turned up on eBay one day back in 2006 for $22 "Buy it now."  1902 Edward crowns do not normally sell for $22, even back then.  

351011039_UK-1902Crown22BINMar2006(0).jpg.083acdbca3b9e792cc25ec70dc615361.jpg

 

 

Great stuff! An Edward VII 1902 crown (his only one) was a terrific buy for $22, even in 2006. 

That is mysterious about Cyprus staying with full sterling after Great Britain had gone to .500 silver, and Bermuda staying with it even after Britain had entirely switched to cupro-nickel.

I'm embarrassed to say that although I've had a George VI 1951 crown for decades, I realized only fairly recently that it's associated with the "Festival of Britain," which isn't mentioned on the coin. Nor had I ever seen one for sale with a case here in the USA. The same is true of my Elizabeth II 1960 crown: I had no idea until a few weeks ago that it was issued in connection with the British Trade Fair in NYC that year. Which I never heard of. It was no 1964/65 World's Fair!

Edited by DonnaML
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Two recent additions.

I was able to buy the first one for about half of the usual price for halfway decent Anne crowns, presumably because of the graffiti in the left obverse field (which actually isn't nearly as noticeable in hand as it is in the photo):

Anne AR Crown 1707E [Edinburgh Mint] (Second bust, edge Sexto, post-Union reverse). Obv. Draped bust left, ANNA • DEI • - GRATIA., E [Edinburgh] below bust* / Rev. Crowned cruciform shields, plain in angles, top and bottom shields with English and Scottish arms impaled [divided], left shield with Irish harp, and right shield with French arms (3 lis); MAG : - BRI : FR : - ET • HIB : - REG : 17 – 07 (var. with dot between ET and HIB instead of colon; see ESC p. 184) / Edge DECVS ET TVTAMEN ANNO REGNI SEXTO. Spink 3600, ESC 1352 at p. 184 [Maurice Bull, English Silver Coinage since 1649 (Spink, 7th ed. 2020)], old ESC 103 [H.A. Seaby & P.A. Rayner, English Silver Coinage from 1649 (Seaby, 4th ed. 1974)]. 40 mm., 29.92 g. Purchased at Noonans Auction 260, 28 Sep 2022, Lot 1427 (description notes graffiti in left obverse field).  

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*See ESC p. 178: “Before the Act of Union the coinage of Scotland was quite separate from that of England, the Sottish denominations being equivalent to only 1/12th of the English. For this reason the Anne 10 shilling piece struck in Scotland in 1705 weighed only 71 grains compared with the English shilling of 92 grains. As from the Union, the United Kingdom of England and Scotland used the same coinage, but during the years 1707-9, the Mint in Edinburgh continued to strike coins. These were the same design as those struck in London and were for the most part from London-made dies and puncheons, but had an E or E[star] below the queen’s bust.”

My second new addition counts as a crown, I believe, because it's "crown-sized" (or even slightly larger), and, more importantly, was valued at 5 shillings from 1804-1811:

George III AR impaired (circulated) proof Bank of England Dollar [value 5 shillings], 1804, Soho Mint, struck over a Spanish Empire Eight Reales. Obv. Type “D”: First bust right, laureate and draped, GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX. [stop after REX], C.H.K on truncation (for engraver C. H. Kuchler), first leaf in wreath points to end of letter E in DEI / Rev. Type “2a”: Britannia seated left, in her left hand a spear, her left arm resting on a shield above an overflowing cornucopia, in her upraised right hand an olive branch, beehive of industry to left, inverted letter K in relief under shield, all within a castellated oval garter with the words FIVE SHILLINGS at top and DOLLAR at bottom; surrounding garter inside toothed border, BANK OF - ENGLAND, date 1804 below. S. 3768, ESC 1946 at p. 280, Type D/2a [Maurice Bull, English Silver Coinage since 1649 (Spink, 7th ed. 2020)], old ESC 160 at p. 54, Type D/2a [H.A. Seaby & P.A. Rayner, English Silver Coinage from 1649 (Seaby, 4th ed. 1974)]. 41 mm., 25.99 g.  Purchased from Sovereign Rarities Ltd., Auction 7, 21 Sep 2022, Lot 184 (described as “An impaired proof, moderately circulated and with some edge flaws, retaining faint brilliance in fields, toned, good very fine”), ex Spink (with old Spink tag).

image.jpeg.56cd391831b870a37de1b01fb1814e33.jpeg

The lot description didn't even mention the Spink tag that arrived with the coin. I've written to Sovereign Rarities to ask if they know anything about how old it is, or whether it reflects a purchase at auction or retail. If anyone recognizes the vintage or anything else about the tag, please feel free to chime in! [Edited to add: I just heard back from Sovereign Rarities -- impressive that they answered on a Sunday evening! -- and was told that the tag is from a Spink retail sale about 10-15 years ago.]

image.jpeg.238846b679cd18e437a04e184426b731.jpeg

image.jpeg.88eec534a024b98b9303a3f2dac277b4.jpeg

At this point, I've managed to reconstitute my old collection of British silver crowns to the extent of having at least one of every monarch, and more than one type of a number of them, from Charles II through Elizabeth II, except for William & Mary and George II -- both of which I once had, but are now far too expensive for me to realistically expect ever to reacquire them. The same is true of the Gothic Crown type of Victoria, which is now even more expensive. (I'm not even counting the proof or pattern crown of William IV, which never circulated and which I could never afford even at 1980s prices!)

Edited by DonnaML
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