| Value |
|
|---|---|
| Diameter | 38 mm |
| Edge | Milled |
| Composition |
|
| Years of minting | 1707–1981 |
| Obverse | |
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| Design | Profile of the monarch (Victoria "jubilee head" design shown) |
| Designer | Joseph Boehm |
| Design date | 1887 |
| Reverse | |
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| Design | Various (St George design shown) |
| Designer | Benedetto Pistrucci |
| Design date | 1817 |
The crown was a denomination of sterling coinage worth a quarter of one pound (five shillings, or 60 (old) pence). The crown was first issued during the reign of Edward VI, as part of the coinage of the Kingdom of England.
Always 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. Unlike in some territories of the British Empire (such as Jamaica), in the UK the crown was never replaced as circulating currency by a five-shilling banknote.
"Decimal" crowns were minted a few times after decimalisation of the British currency in 1971, initially with a nominal value of 25 (new) pence. However, commemorative crowns issued since 1990 have a face value of five pounds.[1]
- ^ "The Royal Mint: Five Pound Coin Designs and Specifications". The Royal Mint. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.