Charles Prince of Wales - investiture 1969 Small Bronze

Sterling Silver Proof Crown struck to commemorate the marriage of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. This was the last ever British Crown that the Royal Mint struck, after this, they only struck crown-sized coins but with a face value of £5.00 and not five shillings or 25 pence. Since the first Silver crown was issued under King Edward VI in 1551, a crown has had a face value of five shillings or twenty-five pence and this coin marked the end of that. The crown comes in an Official Royal Mint case with a certificate and is protected in a capsule so you can view both sides without getting your fingerprints on it.

In 1977 Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee or 25th anniversary as our Queen. The Royal Mint issued a special Crown to mark the occasion and more importantly, issued every denomination for that year for circulation. This is something that did not happen all that often. They also issued a Proof Set of these 1977 coins, but they did not issue a Mint Set in 1977. Years ago we obtained a quantity of the coins and had Sandhill make up a red white and blue display card for the 1977 Mint Set. It comes in a Sandhill case, which with the insert would cost you today at least £4-£5, as they are no longer made. You get the Halfpenny, Penny, Twopence, Five Pence, Ten Pence, 50 Pence and Crown. Only the Penny and Twopence are still being made today of the same size and even they are now made out of steel. All the other coins have been reduced in size except for the Halfpence and Crown which are no longer made. All of the coins are in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, remember the case and insert alone would cost you £4-£5 today, a bargain!

In 2002, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 50th or Golden Jubilee as our Queen. The Royal Mint issued a special commemorative £5 to honour the event. In many ways it is similar to the Coronation Crown of 1953, as the Queen is riding her horse. The obverse is the Queen with her crown and a most striking portrait it is. They are in Uncirculated condition and now, 20 years later, following the passing of our longest reigning monarch, they are one of the most sought after coins of her reign.