End of World War II Commemorative Items

The George Cross or ‘GC’ as it is affectionately known is the highest award that a civilian can get. It is also sometimes awarded to military personnel for an act for which military honours would not normally come into play. This is a handsome replica, as only 157 real ones have been issued since its inception in 1941. You have St. George and the dragon in the middle of a cross with ‘For Gallantry’ round the centre. King George VI’s cipher is in the angles. There is a bar that has ornamented laurels and the ribbon is a dark blue. These replicas are stamped ‘Copy’ on the reverse so no one could confuse them with originals. An original will sell for between £8,000 and £12,000. So even if you could find one, you might not be able to afford it… This handsome replica is large and heavy, just like the original but priced so that most collectors can afford it.

In 1995, Jersey celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the liberation of the island after the Second World War. The Channel Islands were the only part of Britain to be occupied by German forces during the war. The front follows the usual design with a facing portrait of Elizabeth II with an overprint to the left marking the 50th Anniversary and a special prefix LJ (Liberation of Jersey) The back depicts a Wartime Jersey £1 note and a view of the Liberation Monument (P25). Uncirculated.

Here are three different silver proof crowns issued in 2005 for the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Each coin has H.M. the Queen on them, so they were official sanctioned by the Palace. It is just that none of them are listed in the catalogues as yet. They were part of the large lot of silver proof crowns that we recently purchased. Only 29 pieces of each in the hoard, so they must be rare. They have red, white and blue banners on the reverse depicting people who were happy that the War was over. You have the Falkland Islands showing a family waving flags, St. Helena with a child hugging her returning serviceman father and Ascension Islands with children dancing in a circle. As there are only 29 pieces of each we are only going to offer the collection as a collection of three different silver proof crowns. Today the Royal Mint charges in excess of £80 each for similar crowns, so our price of £115 for the set of three is less than half the price that you might expect to pay. But please remember only 29 sets available.

These were issued in 2010 to honour those who served the cause in World War II, in this case the Fire Service but perhaps were forgotten. The cover has a 97p British stamp on it, a full-colour representation and a Proof Crown of Gibraltar. Our supplies are very limited. Once they are gone, they are gone…