Collectors Guide
George VI Crowns
The George VI crown (five shillings) was issued as a commemorative coin during the reign, most notably for the 1937 Coronation and the 1951 Festival of Britain. These large coins feature iconic designs and are widely collected, particularly in higher grades. This guide covers the key George VI crown issues, including design details, specifications and collecting insights.
Introduction
The George VI Crown was issued on just two occasions during the reign, in 1937 and 1951, making it one of the most compact crown series in British coinage. This page provides an overview of the George VI Crown series, including the two distinct issues, their alloys, design details, and year-by-year reference images.
Neither issue was intended as a currency coin — both were commemorative in character — but both are collected as part of the complete George VI series. The two crowns differ markedly in alloy, design, and purpose, and together bookend a reign defined by war, recovery, and national renewal.
- 1937 Coronation Crown – Struck in .500 silver to commemorate the accession of George VI, with a reverse by George Kruger Gray. Crowns dated 1937 were also issued each year from 1938 to 1943 — a fact that is not widely known.
- 1951 Festival of Britain Crown – Struck in copper-nickel to mark the Festival of Britain, using a reverse derived from Benedetto Pistrucci's celebrated St George and the Dragon design. Produced using polished dies, giving a proof-like appearance, though it is not technically a proof. This is often referred to as "Proof-like".
Coinage Details
1937 Coronation Crown — The 1937 Crown was struck in .500 silver and features an equestrian reverse by George Kruger Gray, depicting George VI on horseback. The obverse carries the portrait of the King by Thomas Humphrey Paget. An unusual feature of this issue is that the same 1937-dated dies were used to produce crowns in each subsequent year from 1938 to 1943, though the coins themselves bear only the 1937 date. These are not proofs, and most examples encountered in the market are ordinary currency strikes.
1951 Festival of Britain Crown — Produced to mark the Festival of Britain, the 1951 Crown is one of the most distinctive pieces of the reign. The reverse adapts Pistrucci's famous St George and the Dragon composition, with the dies reportedly duplicated from an 1899 Crown and the date added by hand. Some examples were struck on the Festival site itself, though there is no way to identify them from the coins alone. The coin was struck using polished dies, producing a mirror-like field finish that is often described as proof-like, though it does not meet the technical definition of a proof.
| 1937 | 1951 |
|---|---|
 |
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| Alloy: Ag 50% Cu 40% Ni 5% Zn 5% | Alloy: Cu 75% Ni 25% |
| Diameter: 39mm, Weight: 28.3g | |
Specifications
| Years Issued | 1937 only |
| Diameter | 38.61 mm |
| Weight | 28.28 g |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Alloy |
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| Obverse Designer | Thomas Humphrey Paget |
| Reverse Designer | George Kruger Gray |
Year-by-Year Reference
1937
Crowns dated 1937 were also issued each year from 1938 to 1943. Not a lot of people know that.
| 1937 Crown |
|---|
| Obverse | Reverse |
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1951
| 1951 Crown |
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| Obverse | Reverse |
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References
Attributions and variety identifications for the George V Halfcrown series are based principally on the standard published references listed below. These works form the core framework for catalogue numbering, die classification, and comparative study.
- Coins of England and the United Kingdom
- ESC – English Silver Coinage
- Bull – English Silver Coinage since 1649
- Davies – British Silver Coins since 1816