5 Shilling (1 crown) Great Britain coin of 1953.

Great Britain 1953

5 Shilling (1 crown) Great Britain coin of 1953.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Since 1951).            

Nominal : 5 shilling (1 crown), Coinage Years : 1953, Material : Copper-nickel alloy, Weight : 28.2759 g. Edge Type : Embossed, Edge Width : 3.2 mm, Writings on the edge : FAITH AND TRUTH I WILL BEAR UNTO YOU, Mint : Royal Mint, London (Great Britain), Signs on the coin : obverse - GL, reverse - EF and CT, Occasion of the coinage : Elizabeth II crowning. Owner of the coin regalia: Elizabeth II (21.04.1926), Britain Queen since 1952 from Vindsor's dynasty.                                 

The crown was a large coin, and did not circulate well. However, crowns were generally struck in a new monarch's coronation year (true of each monarch since George IV and up until the present monarch in 1953, with the exception of George V).

The George V 'wreath' crowns struck from 1927 to 1936 (excluding 1935 when the more common 'rocking horse' crown was minted to commemorate the King's Silver Jubilee) depict a wreath on the reverse of the coin and were struck in very low numbers. Generally struck late in the year and intended to be purchased as Christmas gifts, they did not circulate well with the rarest of all dates, 1934, (mintage just 932) now fetching several thousand pounds each. The 1927 'wreath' crowns

were struck as proofs only (15,030 minted).

With its large size, many of the later coins were primarily commemorative. The 1951 issue was for the Festival of Britain, and was only struck in proof condition. The 1965 issue carried the image of Winston Churchill on the reverse, the first time a non-monarch or commoner was ever placed on a British coin. According to the Standard Catalog of coins, 9,640,000 were minted, a very high number at the time, making them of little value today except as a mark of respect for the World War II leader.

The crown was worth 5 shillings (or 60 per-decimal pence) until decimalisation in February 1971, and was also the basis of other denominations such as the half crown and double crown.

The last five shilling piece was minted in 1965.

The crown coin was nicknamed the dollar, but is not to be confused with the British trade dollar that circulated in the Orient.